Eye of the Storm
by Jane Poirot
Summary: Post series: The games have been won, but a new one is underway to test the strength and bonds of the Ushiromiya family as they are also tested by an event that could change everything.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Nothing is mine. I've been struggling with an urge to write this for a while now, but I was never really sure of how I wanted to write it...until now. Also, I have my own theory about how the series might end, but this takes place AFTER the initial game, as the summary says, and focuses on a possible post-end "end". Some parts of it may be a little "off", and my viewing may be a little rusty, so be warned.**

**Also, you'll notice this story has an M rating. Well, ahem...you won't find any M-rated content in **_**this**_** chapter...it's only rated M because of what happens in the second chapter, and that is all you need to know.**

1

Two figures...husband and wife, bound to one another...floating through an empty space...not knowing where they were or where they were going...

Only one phrase rang continuously through their heads:

_It's over._

_It's finally over._

They opened their eyes, finding themselves in a lavender world, surrounded by kakeras showing excerpts of the previous games they had played...including an excerpt of the more recent game which they had won...

Neither spoke a word, nor did they dare change direction, yet somehow, apart from the touch of hands, they knew who was there.

They knew who had been standing right beside them the entire time.

"Beato," spoke the man, "do you remember...my telling you that because I now understand how magic works...that I would take you off the game board when all this was over?"

The woman was too terrified to speak, yet speak she did: "Yes. At the time...I wasn't sure how you were going to follow through with that promise. Do you really think you understand magic enough to...?"

"Hey, I proved your existence in the real world, didn't I?" said the man. "I proved you were not a witch, but a blushing young servant girl who allowed her emotions to get the better of her...and was forced to help in the murders against her free will..."

"Yes," murmured the witch. "I remember now..."

"Now the deal was that as soon as this was over, I would get to go to a kakera where the murders don't happen," said the man. "My entire family was present in the Great Court of Illusions as I spoke my testimony...as I spoke the truth...yet somehow, I doubt many of them will retain any memory of what happened. I'd be surprised if they did..."

He squeezed her hand. "Ready?"

The witch squeezed back. "Yes."

The two figures closed their eyes...

A bright light shined...

And all went black.

* * *

Breathing.

It is an automatic mechanism done without thinking. It is something we do everyday of our lives. It is something so mundane, we take advantage of it.

And yet...it was something that Beato found herself struggling for as she woke up and saw a world of blue. She turned to the red-headed man floating right next to her. He smiled sheepishly as though to say, "Well, I tried."

Had she had any oxygen to laugh, she would've done so. Her husband, Ushiromiya Battler, was more competent than he had been at the start...yet still retained the tendency to miss off the mark ever so slightly.

While Battler had a better understanding of magic, and had resolved to whisk Beato with him into the real world, he had not thought through as to _where_ he was going to take them. As a result, husband and wife now floated underwater in the sea.

Battler took Beato by the hand and swam, slowly but surely, up to the surface. As the two burst through the navy curtain, their first instinct was to gasp for air. They coughed up what little water had been swallowed, gratefully gulping down the oxygen as though they were starving children in an orphanage being granted gruel.

Battler only realized after a few seconds of breathing in air rather than water that Beato clung tightly to his shoulder, looking like a scared child.

"Beato?" said Battler. "Is everything all right?"

"I...I can't swim," said Beato sheepishly. "I mean, I can swim a _little_ bit...but not when we're out _this_ far..."

Battler's head turned. The island, while within swimming distance, was a bit further away than he had anticipated. He turned back to Beato. The two realized how truly funny all this was and they laughed. They held each other close and laughed over how their determination to break free had resulted in their miscalculation.

When she got tired of laughing, Beato ceased it with a kiss on Battler's mouth. Surprised yet satisfied, Battler used one hand to caress her dampened cheeks while using the other to hold Beato close. He recalled a recurring theme of rather...bizarre...wet dreams he had during his early years of puberty. He didn't remember the details of them, but one thing remained constant: A beautiful mermaid with golden locks would bring him to the surface and give him the kiss of life.

_Wait, why am I thinking of wet dreams?_ thought Battler. _I'm having a perfectly nice, romantic moment with my wife—in spite of us not getting the chance to have one after the sixth game—and I'm thinking of wet dreams?!? Ah, it's all useless!_

He parted his lips from hers and said, "Beato...how about we swim back to the island? You can climb on my back, if you want."

"What a romantic fantasy!" laughed Beato. "It's simply marvellous!"

But even so, she gently glided her way over to Battler from behind and swung her arms around his neck, and her legs around his waist. Battler gave her one last smile before swimming off to their destination.

* * *

Krauss could not quite recall the last time he had ever had a headache quite this bad. He knew his wife, Natsuhi, suffered from them frequently, but this one was just awful. The last thing he remembered was discussing with his wife how they were going to cover up Kinzo's death when everyone else arrived; the next thing he knew, he was standing at the docks with all of the relatives and servants, not having the slightest clue as to what was going on.

"W...what happened?" muttered Krauss. "Where am I?"

"Now _that_ was quite the adventure, if I do say so myself!" laughed Rudolf. "Never again will I ever call my own son incompetent behind his back!"

"I'm glad that my 'flip-the-chessboard' strategy was put to good use," nodded Kyrie thoughtfully. "We taught our son well, Rudolf."

"What?" asked Krauss. "What did Battler do?"

"Uu, I hope Battler and Beato get out okay, uu!" piped up Maria. "We're all here; where do you think _they_ went?"

"Oh, I'm sure they'll be here soon," said George. He smiled over at Shannon and held his hand in hers. "Right now, though, I am very glad that Shannon—no, Sayo—and I were finally given the opportunity to proclaim our love. Mother...I hope you're all right with our union now. You said it was okay, but I wasn't sure if you really..."

"Meant it?" finished Eva.

"Now what is all this about?" asked Hideyoshi, who was just as confused as Krauss. "I thought you weren't okay with the woman our son has chosen."

"Well," said Eva uncomfortably, "it's...a long story..."

"Wait, that's them right now!" said Jessica, pointing out to the two figures swimming over to the docks...or rather, to the figure with his wife on his back swimming up to the docks.

"_Why the hell are they out there?!?"_ burst out Krauss. _"What the hell is going on?!?"_

"I take back my comment about not calling my incompetent son 'incompetent' anymore," sighed Rudolf.

* * *

"Almost...there..." grunted Battler, paddling through the relatively calm waves while balancing Beato, who clung to him like a baby koala clung to its mother.

At last, they had reached the shallow end. However, Beato did not let go of Battler when he tried to get her to, resulting in the two of them collapsing on top of each other in the water, causing the spectators to laugh. Hideyoshi and Krauss turned to each other and let out a forced chuckle, despite still not having a clue about all this.

Observing the struggling couple, Jessica took pity on them and leaped into the shallow water to help them out. She ran over to them, the water coming halfway up her bosom, and untangled each of them. Battler said sheepishly, "Um...I'm not entirely competent when it comes to..."

"How about you're just not competent, period?" snickered Jessica.

Beato laughed, "Now Jessica, he's my husband now, and you have to show him the utmost respect."

"_Husband?"_ Krauss mouthed over to Rudolf. Rudolf nodded and grinned, "If there is anything positive I can say about my son, it is his taste in women. Can you believe he actually landed that nice piece of a—"

"_Ahem,"_ said Battler as he, Beato, and Jessica waded up to the sand. "I can hear you from over here, you old bastard!"

"Uu, what was he about to say, mama?" asked Maria.

"Nothing that concerns you, Maria," said Rosa quickly, shooting a glare at a nervously chuckling Rudolf.

By now, the three of them had made it onto the sand. Battler then decided to take Beato by surprise; he swept her off her feet and right into his arms. She let out a small shriek upon this surprise. Battler laughed, "What's this? Does the great Beatrice feel scared?"

"Ah, not at all, not at all," laughed Beato. She swung her arms around him and kissed him, aiming for his lips, but accidentally brushing his neck.

"Hohoho, I think this calls for some celebration!" declared Kumasawa. "Gohda, let us go and prepare the happy couple a nice, big meal! With mackerel!"

"Ah, we're not hungry right now," said Battler quickly.

"Oh, but it will give you enough time to have your clothes dried off, and change until noon," said Kumasawa.

"By the way," said Jessica, "what time is it?"

"I believe it is around ten-thirty," spoke Genji.

"Wait," said Krauss. "Isn't that the time everyone arrives on the boat? And yet they're all here...and yet it's as though they've _been_ here all along..."

He then resolved to not question anything else that went on and just go with it.

* * *

It was around thirty minutes to noon when the cousins were gathered together in the guest house. Battler had changed into more casual wear—lucky for him, he had packed a set of jeans, his long-sleeved black shirt, and a comfy pair of sneakers (his other pairs were beginning to outgrow him after his growth spurt). Beato was wearing her Zettai Ryouiki outfit, complete with vest, jacket, blouse, tie, skirt, and of course the socks that showed the right amount of flesh.

"Ah," sighed Battler, falling onto the bed. "What a day. What a...er, what would you call it?"

"One hell of a story to tell the kids about how mommy and daddy met?" cracked Jessica.

"Don't even _joke_ about that," said Battler quickly, shooting straight up. "You seriously can't be thinking _now_ of all times is a convenient time for Beato and I to be..."

"He has a point you know," said Beato, who was dangling her feet at the edge of the bed. "We just got married, and we're still re-building our relationship, so..."

"Speaking of which, how _was_ your wedding night?" asked George. He quickly added, "Forgive me for intruding if it's too personal, but..."

"Well, there wouldn't _be_ anything _to_ tell in the first place," muttered Beato.

"Battler's really that bad in bed? Kihihihi."

Beato stared curiously at Maria. "No, it's not _that,"_ she said slowly. "In fact...we didn't get to _do_ anything in bed at all. You see...Maria, if you had to ask the question about whether Battler was bad in bed or not...I would assume that means you know what couples do on their honeymoon, right?"

"They do that thing you do to make babies," replied Maria, grinning creepily. "Kihihihi."

Of course. Beato shouldn't have put it past Maria to already know what she shouldn't know.

Beato went on: "Well, Battler-san and I spent a lot of the night celebrating in the chapel, and then at Kuwadorian. I can't quite remember _how_ long we took, but it was almost morning by the time he finally whisked me off to our bedroom. And then...you tell the rest, Battler; it's all too depressing for me to look back on."

"Long story short," sighed Battler, "we were interrupted right before we could actually consummate our marriage."

"_Right before?"_ said Maria creepily.

"No, not _that,"_ said Battler quickly. "I meant...well, she had just taken off my jacket and vest, and I was about to go for her dress when suddenly _Ronove_ made it his business to come in and announce the next game had been set up and we were to go straight away. So yeah...Beato and I haven't had a chance for...you know..."

"Doesn't mean you can't do it tonight," said George. "If you like, we could talk to Genji and have him arrange something."

"Perhaps," said Battler, although he didn't get his hopes up. The last time he had, he had been sorely let down. Why go through that dejection again?

Beato crawled over to Battler's side of the bed, noticing he was a bit down. She said, "Muu, Battler-san...if not here, maybe later...when we're off the island...we could..."

"No, wait," said George, "maybe I _could_ have a talk with the servants after all. Yes, we'll do it now. We'll see to it that you and Beato have, perhaps, one of the guest rooms to yourselves. Jessica, come with me; we have a honeymoon to arrange."

"Wait, you mean _tonight?"_ said Battler, shooting up to his feet. "George-aniki, you don't have to..."

"Why not?" said Jessica. "Weren't you telling us just now how you and Beato didn't get a chance to _have_ a honeymoon?"

"Yeah, but..."

"But nothing. Tonight, you and Beato are getting the honeymoon you should have had a long time ago, and that is that."

"Uu, can Maria come, too?" said Maria.

"If you like, but it will be a bit of a boring discussion, so I think you had better stay here," said George. He smiled at Battler. "Battler, don't worry about a thing. We'll make sure everything works out for the two of you in the end."

"Thank you," said Battler. He smiled as his George and Jessica walked out together, but inside felt his stomach tie up in a knot. If George was successful in convincing the servants to make some sort of arrangement for him and Beato...just him and Beato...to have a room all to themselves tonight...

Then...

Battler gulped and placed one hand on his chest to make sure his heart was not beating loud enough for Beato and Maria to hear it. He had a few friends who had lost their virginity during the six years he had been gone from his hometown. While he felt a twinge of envy for such friends, he himself did not particularly care about having sex. He had met a few girls whom he was attracted to, made advances on, and had gone on dates with, but he had nothing in common with any of them, so these relationships usually did not go much further than making out or attemped breast groping in the back of the movie theatre. Part of him wondered what it would've been like had it gone further, but did not dwell on it. He simply assumed he would stay a virgin for the remainder of his teen years until he found the right girl...possibly until he was married.

And now...he _had_ found the perfect girl for him...and they were married...

_Tonight's really going to be 'the night', isn't it?_ thought Battler, running one hand through his hair. _After tonight, I won't be a virgin...Beato and I...we're actually going to—oh God, what if something goes wrong? What if I hurt her? What if I'm lousy in bed? What if I knock—_

"What do you think, Battler-san?"

"Huh?" Battler snapped out of his thoughts and spun around in the direction of the voice talking to him. Standing in front of him were Beato and Maria. He tried to take his mind off the impure thoughts flashing through his head as he said, "Sorry, I was thinking about tonight...do you really think it would be a good idea if tonight's the night where we...?"

"Uu, Battler," said Maria, "Beato and I were asking if you should go see if your other clothes are dry now, uu."

"Oh, that," said Battler, his eyes darting around the room, looking anywhere but in the eyes of his wife. "Well, uh...sure, I guess. Maybe we could, I don't know, wear them at lunch or...dinner?"

"Maybe even tonight?" suggested Beato. "For when we make love for the first time?"

"Eh...ihihi," laughed Battler nervously, "you sure are blunt...aren't you..."

At this, Beato smiled and chuckled, "Oh, Battler-san, I've _always_ been blunt, have I not?"

Bit by bit, she was acting more and more like her old self. Battler couldn't decide if this should make him feel relaxed or more tense about tonight.

* * *

It was shortly before lunch that George and Jessica gathered the servants and parents in the dining room for a meeting concerning the honeymoon.

"We were all there in the chapel when Battler spoke to save us all, and the woman he loved," George began. "If it hadn't been for him, we'd all probably be still stuck in limbo by now. Worse yet, we might have all been killed. What's more, Battler sacrificed his honeymoon for our sake. For that, he deserves to have what he could not. Together, we should all make his and Beato's honeymoon as memorable as possible. We should provide, perhaps, some food and music at dinner tonight."

"And after," continued Jessica, "they deserve to have a bed made up just for them, maybe one of the other rooms in the guest house...and we will leave them in peace to have this one night just for themselves. When else _would_ they have time?"

There was a wave of silence spread across the table for nearly two minutes and a half before Rudolf spoke: "Heh...heh...I never realized Battler didn't get to have a night with Beato. When I learned they were married, I just assumed...well, who am I to deny my son any happiness, huh?"

"Are you sure it's a good idea?" spoke up Natsuhi. "Yes, I agree we should give them the finest banquet tonight, and perhaps a bit of music...but Rudolf, would you _really_ be comfortable with your son and his wife sleeping together? When there's the risk of...?"

Kyrie looked over at Rudolf. He said calmly, "Of course I am. I've taught my son how to use birth control. He may be incompetent, but I trust him to be responsible enough to know how to conduct himself on his wedding night. I'll provide him with a condom before he goes off with Beato to their room."

Krauss chose to speak: "Rudolf, while I still don't have the slightest idea as to what's going on, or how Battler got married...now I know you trust your _son..._but do you trust this _marriage?"_

"Eh? What do you mean by that now, Krauss?" asked Rudolf. "This Beato girl seems nice enough."

"Well what I'm saying is, do you really think this union is destined to last?" said Krauss. "How do you know that there is absolutely _nothing_ that can test their marriage? They _are_ rather young."

Rudolf lightly chuckled, "Now Krauss, after witnessing the events in the Court of Illusions, I am convinced that Battler and Beato can survive anything. They'll have their issues, but they can work through them together. Now let us plan out the night for the young couple..."

* * *

Neither of the two men knew it, but there were indeed to be a few obstacles yet to come in the young couple's way...

Obstacles that would test the strength of their love.

Obstacles that would test the strength of their family.

Obstacles that were being plotted by another witch at that very moment.

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, I know that simply mentioning Battler's final stand without showing it is a Missed Moment of Awesome...but hey, who knows--maybe I might actually turn that one into an epic oneshot. But that's for another day.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So yeah...this is the chapter that's M-rated for a very good reason (let's just say it has something to do with a certain sour fruit, heh-heh...though it's not as good as some of the other ones on this site...). Things won't heat up until the last half. You have been warned, in case you looked up M-rated fics by accident.**

2

It was at six o'clock that Battler and Beato were ordered to walk straight to the guest house to see what surprise was in store for them. They had spent most of the day on the beach with the other cousins, where upon Beato, having changed into her gown, managed to get it wet and covered with sand after enjoying herself a little _too_ much (Battler, amazingly enough, had avoided any damage to his white suit). They had been planning on stopping by for Beato to change into something else anyway, so they didn't see much harm in taking a short detour.

"Why do you think they want us to go to the guest house?" asked Beato, walking hand-in-hand with Battler, her hand lightly squeezing his.

Battler looked at her with those handsome eyes of his, causing her stomach to do a small flip-flop. He said, "Maybe Jessica and George-aniki have managed to arrange something special for us after all. They didn't say what had happened when they came down and joined us. They probably have some sort of surprise for us."

"What kind of surprise?" asked Beato, sounding very cute in her innocence.

"Oh, maybe they smuggled a stripper in or something; I know that would make me happy, ihihi!" joked Battler.

Beato gasped and blushed, much to Battler's surprise. He had half-expected her to shoot back some sort of witty comeback about him being a pervert. Of course, he kept forgetting her tendency to switch back and forth from her regular personality to her 'zero' personality. She _was_ still in the process of gaining her memories back, after all.

"Muu...I'm not enough for Battler-san?" said Beato in a fragile voice.

"Don't be silly, of course you are," said Battler, playfully patting her on the head. "You should know by now that you're more than enough for me. A while ago, you would've..."

His voice faltered upon seeing Beato flinch as though preparing for a sudden blow. He hadn't exactly been very nice to her when he revived her and had even claimed this was not his Beato; thinking about it now made him feel ashamed. He added quietly, "Listen: I know this is very hard on you, and you've been through a lot more than most women can say they have. I will be by your side no matter what, and I will support you as you begin to remember more and more of your life. Never be in doubt of that, okay?"

Beato nodded silently, her cheeks pink. Battler stopped walking, leaned in, and gave her a light peck on the precise spot where her cheek was at its rosiest. Beato smiled and the two resumed walking until they were right at the door.

Battler opened the door—only for it to be promptly slammed shut back in his face. He winced and took a step back, muttering, "What the hell was _that _all about?"

There were a few seconds of miscellaneous noises on the other side before the door was opened by Kanon. With a slight bow he said, "Apologies for what happened a few seconds ago. We were not finished just yet."

"Finished?" said Battler, his curiosity peeked.

Kanon nodded and said, "This way."

Battler and Beato exchanged a curious glance before following Kanon into the guest house, where upon he closed the door behind them. Almost immediately, they were greeted by the beauty of violin strings slowly being run across with its partner, the bow. The sight just up ahead was a small table with a white cloth, two dishes with their meals facing opposite, and a candle softly burning.

The atmosphere was indeed quite romantic. Neither Battler nor Beato had expected Jessica and George's attempts to give them a honeymoon to be quite _this_ extensive.

"You and George-aniki sure went all out, ihihi," commented Battler as he and Beato walked up to the table together.

"Well, we all thought of it together," said Jessica, who was playing the violin. "Everyone else is having dinner in the dining room right now, but we made sure you and Beato would get to have this special dinner for just the two of you. I already had something to eat before coming here."

Beato was taken aback by the beautiful sight. She and Battler smiled at each other before each taking a seat. Tonight's dish was grilled steak with curry rice; the beverages, simple water. The dish itself was relatively simple. But the atmosphere made it the most romantic dish in the world.

* * *

The sound of Jessica's violin put them at enough ease to begin conversing. The things they talked about were small—such as the various means to entertain one's self on the beach—but by no means were they insignificant. Battler was less tense than before when he was worrying about how to conduct himself when he and Beato went to bed. And Beato was, little by little, talking like her cheeky old self.

"Oh Battler," said Beato in a sing-song voice, "what do you think should be done about tonight, hmm? Would you rather I wear this dress? Or should I change into something more..._provocative?_ But you'd love that, ri~ght? Oh, I know _exactly_ what you have in mind for what I should wear; your cheeks are getting redder! Kyahaha!"

"Ihihi," laughed Battler nervously, feeling hot under his white collar.

Beato grinned flirtatiously and spun her spoon around in the remainder of the curry rice (which now had more 'curry' than it did 'rice'). She scooped it up to her mouth, only for the curry to spill over on the side and drip onto her dress. She sighed, supposing she would have to change after all.

"Hey, don't make that face," said Battler, leaning across the table with a napkin, using it to catch the remainder of the spilling curry. Beato placed her spoon down on the plate and sighed, "I think I'm full anyway."

"Yeah," nodded Battler. "Me too."

"_Good!"_ sighed Jessica and she nearly dropped the violin to the floor, her arm tired from having played it for nearly half an hour.

"I think it's still a bit early yet for us to go to bed," said Battler, looking over at the clock, which only read six-thirty. "Let's go to the mansion and mingle for a bit."

* * *

Time flew by almost too quickly. Battler and Beato spent the rest of the evening conversing with the other members of the family and wandering through the mansion together with Maria, who would talk endlessly about how she looked forward to Halloween, including her planned costume and how she was going to play a trick on anyone who didn't give her candy.

Time flew by so quickly, in fact, that Battler and Beato, in the midst of helping Maria with her wolf and sheep puzzle in the parlour, were surprised when Genji came up to the three of them and announced, "It is now ten o'clock. I believe it is now time for you all to be getting to bed."

"Uu, now?" whined Maria.

"Yes, Maria, your mother is looking for you," nodded Genji. He turned to Battler and Beato and said, "If you two will just come with me..."

Before they could get up off the couch and follow Genji, Rudolf came in and said, "Battler, there you are. Genji, take Beato and Maria out of the room for just a few minutes; there is something I need to talk to my son about in private."

Genji nodded and gestured for Beato and Maria to follow him. They each stood up and followed after him, both wondering just what it was Rudolf wanted.

"I have just one question to ask you," said Rudolf. He took one last glance over his shoulder to make sure no one was going to walk into the parlour. "It's about your honeymoon…now don't worry about a thing; as you already know, George and Jessica have seen to it that the two of you will have some privacy. But..."

Battler looked at Rudolf curiously. There was something on the old bastard's mind, all right…something that was making him uncomfortable.

Rudolf looked his son in the eye with a solemn expression. He said, "Are you ready to be a father?"

Battler blinked. That hadn't exactly been what he had expected. Not knowing how to reply to this, he said, "Um…"

"Then take this," said Rudolf, taking out a small plastic pack with a condom inside. He placed it in a flushed Battler's hands. Memories were coming back now…memories of when his father had taken the duty of giving his son 'the talk' but not only stop at a mere talk; no, he somehow got the idea into his head that Battler, at age eleven, would be interested in having sex and felt the need to teach him to use a condom.

Battler had a hard time eating bananas without suppressing the urge to gag for quite a while afterwards.

"You remember the lessons I gave you on how to use it, don't you?" said Rudolf quietly.

Battler nodded. "Yes. I remember."

"Put them to good use," said Rudolf, not once dropping his solemn tone. "Your hesitance in answering my question tells me you're not ready for fatherhood."

"Well, your question _did _catch me off-guard," admitted Battler as he stuffed the small packet into his pants pocket, "But yeah—I can't imagine myself changing diapers for another ten years yet. I'm not sure if Beato herself would want kids, either. In any event, we'll wait until after I'm out of school before approaching the subject. How's that sound?"

"In other words," said Rudolf with a gesture, hoping to get his son to complete the sentence and thus catch onto the point.

Battler sighed, "In other words, I'll put it to good use. Okay?"

"Good," sighed Rudolf. His tension having eased up, he said, "Now that we've gotten the difficult subject out of the way, let's talk about that _other_ thing I kept telling you about..."

"Oh _no!"_ groaned Battler, remembering the _other_ half of Rudolf's prep talks on sex—the 'tricks'.

"Oh _yes!"_ said Rudolf, now allowing for a grin, clearly enjoying the look of horror on Battler's face. "You want Beato to enjoy herself, don't you?"

"Well yeah, but..."

"Do you want to leave her with the impression that if her _first_ night of sex with you is terrible, then this is what all your _other_ nights will be like?"

Battler sighed and braced himself for Rudolf's impending prep talk, thinking how it was all useless...

* * *

"So what were you and Rudolf talking about?" asked Beato as Genji led her and Battler up the stairs.

"Eh...guy stuff, ihihi," said Battler nonchalantly, deciding he was better off _not_ scarring her for life at Rudolf's tactics. Obviously, he wasn't going to go for every single one of them (even Rudolf had acknowledged that overdoing it might overwhelm Beato); he would simply go for the few that had stuck out in his mind the most...that weren't so over-the-top.

Genji led the newlyweds down the hall leading to the various bedrooms before stopping at one just around the corner. He opened up the door and ushered them in. The walls were white, yet under the current lighting looked to be a shade of pink. The bedspreads were the colour of blush. On either side of the bed stood a nightstand, each with a lamp that had been dimmed to fit the atmosphere a bit better. Facing opposite the bed was a dresser, already packed with their clothes. Adjacent to the dresser was a chair to rest on. To the couple's left was a door leading into the bathroom. And best of all was the window which currently had its curtains drawn.

It was indeed quite romantic.

"It was under George's orders that I made up this room for the purpose of the two of you doing whatever you wish," said Genji. "I will now leave you two alone. If there is anything at all you may need, call on me."

Genji closed the door behind him, leaving the young couple by themselves..._totally alone..._

"So, uh," said Battler awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck, "Beato...how about you, you know...shower...just so you're not..."

Beato understood. She walked over to the dresser, pulled open a few drawers, and got out the clothing items she decided on wearing (which, given her limited wardrobe, really wasn't all that much), and marched right past Battler into the bathroom, where upon she closed the door behind her.

"Now then," she smiled, "how shall I behave myself around my husband, hmm? Naughty, or nice?"

* * *

Battler took off his jacket and slid it on the chair before sitting down and removing his shoes and socks. "These won't be of much use," he muttered. He was feeling calmer about the prospect of finally getting to sleep with his wife, but he was still a bit nervous about what he would do as soon as Beato came out of the shower and into the room. She had been in the shower for around—no, _exactly_, as he had been watching the clock on the wall the entire time—fifteen minutes and the sound of the shower running had yet to stop.

Would she be wearing another outfit for him to take off? Would she be wearing some type of sexy underwear? Or would she be wearing anything at all?

Battler realized one of his hands had been stroking the small, plastic pack in his pocket. He pulled it out and observed the condom for nearly half a minute before hearing the shower turn off. Sharply, he shot up and ran over to the other side of the bed where the nightstand drawer stood.

He assumed that if Beato had planned on surprising him by coming out nude, she would have by now, so he took a small bit of time in wondering where to place the condom—in his pocket, on top of the nightstand, or in the drawer?

Well, where would he be most likely to remember it? His pants would inevitably come off at one point or another; what if he didn't succeed in taking the condom out before his pants fell to the floor? It would be rather awkward for him to lean over the bed, get his pants, and dig it out of his pockets. He could place it on the nightstand, but what if it blended in so well with the miscellaneous items—the lamp, the alarm clock—that he just about forgot about it? Then there was this nightstand drawer—he _might_ be able to remember to pull the drawer open right before...but what if he suddenly remembered it, forgot where he put it, and tore the entire room apart looking for it and never once looking in the drawer?

"Oh Battler," sang Beato, "I'm coming out real soon~!"

"Sure, I'll be right there!" called out Battler. Realizing he didn't have much time left to think about it, he pulled open the nightstand drawer, placed the small packet inside, and slammed the drawer shut, his heartbeat increasing ever so slightly. When the moment came, he would quickly open up the drawer, take the packet out, and put it on. It wouldn't be all _that_ hard to remember.

This in mind, Battler ran over to where the chair was, nearly tripping over it, and stood, waiting for Beato to come out so they could begin.

At last, Beato came out of the bathroom. In replacement of her gown, she now wore her Zettai Ryouiki uniform (sans boots) with her hair hanging loose, still wet from the fresh shower. Her skin was also apparently still wet, for it glinted ever so slightly. She approached Battler and shrugged off her jacket, which fell neatly to the floor.

"Does this bring back any memories, Ushiromiya Bat-t-ler?" she teased, stressing each syllable with her tongue.

Ah yes—how could Battler ever forget that single time he had made the foolish mistake of surrendering to Beato and becoming her furniture? She had explicitly spelled out to him why giving up was not an option...and he had to admit, the thought that this was in store for him if he ever gave up played a part in keeping him going...that, and the thought of little Ange.

"Nope, not at all," said Battler teasingly.

Beato cackled and slipped her tie off her neck, playfully sliding it around Battler's neck. "Then how about we create some new ones, hmm? Ones that we have not had a chance to make just yet, all because of that dreaded Bernkastel."

They both regretted being unable to immediately consummate their marriage; they had only just begun to remove the smallest pieces of clothing when the next game was abruptly announced. But now, there were no interruptions, no impending games to worry about.

Now, it was just the two of them, ready to take this night just for themselves.

"Ah, that's no good, no good at all!" declared Battler.

"Shouldn't you be saying, 'it's useless, it's all useless'?" teased Beato, now allowing the tie to fall to the floor.

"Nah, I don't think it's all useless," said Battler, his tone now soft. His hands caressed her cheeks right until he brought them to her chin, which he tilted ever so slightly. He looked into those blue eyes, thinking about how he might not have had a chance to ever see such beautiful eyes. The thought of it made him resist the urge to tear up...but it also made him longing to get this started even more.

Life was too short to be wasted, after all.

"Let's take this moment right now," whispered Battler, leaning in even closer, "and make it ours."

Beato wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in even closer. Their lips touched and just like that, all senses of anything beyond them were lost. This was a moment they had desired to share ever since they were wed, and it was a moment that would not be wasted any longer.

Their lips began to move in harmony and they took a few steps towards the bed...but then Battler tripped over his feet and the two stumbled and fell against the wall. They abruptly stopped and realized their position: Battler had Beato pinned against the wall, and had his face lying right on her vest. He straightened himself up and kissed her on the mouth before moving his hands to the vest where he slowly undid the buttons one by one

("politely. Quickly. Beautifully. With no mistakes.")

and slipped it off. His fingers nimbly undid the buttons on her blouse...but it wasn't until he moved his hands back up that he realized she had 'conveniently' forgotten to put on a bra.

He allowed the blouse to remain where it was. He grinned. "Naughty, aren't we?"

"I've _always_ been naughty, Battler," cooed Beato. Deciding it was now her turn to remove something, she pressed her lips against Battler's and slid his tie around his neck before dropping it to the ground. She felt around for his vest and played with the buttons before slipping it off, too.

Battler wrapped his arms around Beato's back and the two walked over to the bed before falling right down onto it, her on top of him. Battler opened his eyes, looked into hers, and they both smiled. With their chests pressed against each other ever so slightly, they could feel the other's heartbeat. Slow, steady, gradually increasing, never to break.

They closed their eyes and went back to kissing. Beato wrapped her legs around Battler's, feeling her face flush as Battler's hands reached for her striped socks and began to strip them off her wet skin, though at a semi-fast pace as the fabric clung on tight.

Not wanting this particular kiss to end, Battler stopped for just a moment to run his hands through her long, silken hair, still wet and semi-tangled. All the while he was thinking that this moment was going great, yet could still be a bit better.

Beato was thinking the same way; she used one hand to tilt Battler's chin up ever so slightly so that his lips were partly opened. Then, she slipped her tongue inside his mouth, which caught Battler off-guard. He had forgotten how straightforward she could be at times.

Well, now was a perfectly appropriate time to be straightforward, if he did say so himself.

He gladly returned the favour by reaching at the right angle for his tongue to slide into her mouth. He only managed to lick the corners of her mouth on his first few attempts, but ultimately made it in.

The taste of each other...was immensely satisfactory. It was a taste they had been craving for far too long. It was a craving that could no longer go ignored. It was enough to leave a shiver run down Beato's spine, and begin to trigger a certain feeling of pleasure...a feeling that would only continue to grow later into this moment...

The need for oxygen was what broke them apart. They parted, realizing only now that they were somewhat out-of-breath. Beato smirked and crawled over to the middle of the bed, making sure Battler got a good view of her cleavage, then her panties, as she did so. She was not shy about her sexuality, and she would prove that to him.

Battler grinned and rolled over before crawling to the middle, then sitting up in front of Beato. She grinned seductively with her blouse spread open even further—not enough to show anything explicit, yet enough to drive any red-blooded male crazy—and her legs spread apart to expose her underwear. She said flirtatiously, "There are still _far_ too many clothes between us. Who do you think should take care of that?"

Battler crawled over and peeled off her socks the rest of the way. "Oh, I think something can be done about that."

He took each sock and tossed them onto the floor before unbuttoning and removing his shirt, revealing his chest and abs in their glory. He had not changed a bit since Beato had made him her furniture.

This satisfied her immensely.

The two leaned in and the kissing resumed. Their faces were flushing hot from the process as Battler lowered the two of them onto the bed, this time him being the one on top. His lips moved from her mouth, down to her neck, causing Beato to gasp and smile. Who would've thought Battler of all people would've ever had it in him? She supposed he got it from his legendary philandrer of a father.

Yes, perhaps his father had magazines with tips on how to treat a woman during sex, to make her scream out her lover's name over and over, driving her into an insane frenzy. Perhaps he had hidden them in a place where he thought his son would never find them, only for Battler to be a bit more clever—and competent—than previously believed.

Battler's lips had struck an area on her neck that triggered a sudden wave of pleasure. Beato let out a moan of approval and ran one hand through his hair, hoping to somehow keep his head right where it was. Battler instead lifted his head up and said softly, "Is this okay?"

Beato was tempted to laugh at Battler, after revealing himself to be quite the sexy beast, suddenly go all soft. But she decided not to poke fun at his earnest nature. "No...this is perfect."

Battler placed one hand on Beato's skirt and began to scrunch it up. He then pulled the skirt down her legs, and when it reached her feet, she gave a slight kick, and it joined the pile of clothing on the floor.

While he was busy undoing his pants, Beato thought, _Battler has changed, yet part of him remains the same. He is quicker on his feet than he had been at the start of our game...yet there is still that feeling of uncertainty. I can see that. Well, I can't really blame him for that...we've been through so much, and now everything seems to be going just right. It really does feel like something could go wrong when we least expect it..._

_...no. I can't think like that. I should just take this moment for what it is and enjoy every second of it._

By now, Battler's pants now lay on the ground, leaving him in his underwear. There wasn't anything extraordinary about his underwear; he wore white boxers, same as when she had made him undress to become her furniture. As he leaned in to kiss her again, she noticed he was trembling, as though he was thinking, _Oh God, this is really going to lead somewhere, isn't it?_

"Nervous?" spoke Beato.

Battler nodded. "A little bit." He laughed nervously, "But hey—it's our first night together, right?"

In the back of his mind, he kept thinking there was _something_ he was supposed to get out right now, yet he could not quite remember _what..._

"Yes," breathed Beato. "It's our first night together. Let's make it special."

She was the one to spread her blouse open even further. And it was she who placed his hands and face on her breasts; she knew he was still a gentleman, and she would have to take the initiative herself.

Battler, in a move similar to what Beato had done only a few minutes earlier, wrapped one of his legs around Beato's, allowing his male drive to take control. He kept one hand on her breast, playing with it as he had in his various daydreams about what he would do if he were ever given such a chance, while his lips caressed her smooth skin, making their way up and around her mounds; meanwhile, he moved the other hand down to her waist before curling just around her thighs. The hand caressed the one-winged eagle tattoo on her thigh, the tattoo that spoke boldly and proudly of its presence: _I am all but a part of the Ushiromiya family; if not in name, then in spirit._

Now she held the Ushiromiya name. She had a lot to consider herself grateful for.

Battler once again moved his head up to kiss her neck, while his hand moved further up along the tattoo to her panties. Like Battler's own underwear, there was not much that was spectacular about Beato's underwear—plain, simple white panties with two damp spots right across the middle. Battler remembered how, back when he had become Beato's furniture and had to undress and then redress her for the banquet, she had even made him change her underwear to something more 'elegant' for the Golden Witch. He hadn't pointed out that, unless she planned on picking up her dress and showing off to everyone, no one would ever know what, if anything, she had under that dress. He was not allowed to respond as furniture, after all.

(Besides, he figured she probably did plan on showing her underwear off)

Yes, it was not exactly a new sight...at the same time, it felt like everything they saw with each clothing item stripped away truly was being seen for the first time.

Perhaps it was just the magic of the honeymoon.

Beato's heartbeat took up a faster pace as she felt one hand slide down her panties. The moment itself was approaching...it would not be very long now...she kept her eyes closed, allowing her senses to be her guide. She could feel the fingers belonging to that very same hand wondering what to do, whether to drive her crazy with some sort of treat, or to pull the underwear off and dive right in to the lovemaking itself.

She shivered as the fingers opted to pull her panties down halfway and then tease her, caressing the skin surrounding the one place that would drive her even wilder than the spot on her neck, yet not quite going for it; they kept drawing closer…then sliding away…closer…farther…

"Do it," she whispered without realizing she was saying it out loud. "Just do it already, damn it."

Then, she felt the fingers slip right into her, two of them pressing against the clitoris, the rest massaging her inner walls, and she let out a moan, a surge of heat and tingling mixing in with the already damp sensation.

Beato was satisfied. She was having her night with Battler...and it was her first time...

...technically.

* * *

"_I suppose, then, that Kinzo doesn't count?"_

_There was total darkness. In one corner stood a fully dressed Beato. In the other stood her counterpart…the one who had helped her regain bits of her memories…_

"_Onee-sama," said Beato coolly. "What are you doing here? I thought you were just about gone when I didn't see you in the last game."_

"_It was because of me that you even remember anything, so show a little more respect," snapped the other Beato. "You were thinking about how this is your first time…hmph, silly me, here I was thinking you counted all those nights with Kinzo…how he scratched at you and violated you…"_

_At this, Beato figured it out. She threw her head back and laughed. "Ah, that's right; I remember now: You merged with my former imaginary friend, didn't you? Yes, I remember once sharing a body with her during my game with Battler…and now that I am longer an entity of her, you have now become a part of her."_

"_That is correct," said the other Beato, pacing in front of Beato. "But I forgot: You are just a naïve virgin. Beatrice was, shall I say…much more…experienced than you." She laughed, "It must've been a lot of fun, wasn't it, to have memories of your lover doing all sorts of things to your body, while also remembering him as a father, while ALSO remembering him as a person whom you trusted…then as someone who violated that trust? Remember that sensation of your arms nearly being torn out of their sockets? Remember− "_

_Beato raised a hand. "Onee-sama," she said, "Please. I would like to have some time alone with Battler tonight."_

_The other Beato smirked. "Suit yourself. But you know, I'll never be completely gone until you have regained ALL of your memories." Before disappearing, she cackled, "Just make sure you don't scream Kinzo's name when you climax, kyahahaha!"_

* * *

Beato opened her eyes, thinking, _Hope this won't become a recurring thing._

She noticed that Battler had suddenly stopped. He had begun to pull her underwear down even further, now just past her knees, before looking up into Beato's eyes, his wet and sticky fingers now resting around the edge of her panties. "Is something wrong?" he asked softly. "Am I hurting you in any way? Was I a bit rough when I...you know...?"

Yet another reason to break free from her other self: she was getting in the way of any potential pleasure she should be feeling. That satisfying build-up was now gone.

But the night could still be salvaged.

Beato said, "No, of course not. I'm just...thinking...about how we got here. Would you have ever believed me if I told you at the start of our game that by the time we were done, we'd end up together in bed?"

Battled laughed, "No, I don't think I would have." Then, "So...does that mean you're ready now?"

"Mmm, not _quite,"_ said Beato slowly, a sly grin spreading across her face. _"You've_ been doing the work so far. Who's to say I can't have _my_ chance, hmm? I remember coming across a few...tricks...in this one book Teacher forbad me from reading, but did not realize I was a bit taller than she expected, heh-heh..."

Battler grinned. "Bring it on, Beato."

Still grinning, Beato lightly kissed Battler on the cheeks before wrapping her arms around him, moving her hands to his back. She scratched at the smooth skin, lightly at first, before pressing deeper, assured by Battler's light moans. He seemed to be enjoying it all right.

He was enjoying it so much, in fact, he did not even notice one of Beato's fingers was slowly moving further and further down his back until it slipped right underneath his boxers, pulling down the bottom half...then...

"Ah!" Battler cried out when he felt something long and thin slide up his anus. "Wh...wha...what are you...?"

Beato chuckled as she twisted her finger around, "Remember what I said about those tricks I read about in that book? I wasn't kidding, kyahaha..."

"K...kyu..."

Beato took one look at his face; his eyebrows were strangely contorted and his mouth was in an oddly pained half-grimace half-smile. _This_ particular trick, he did not seem to be enjoying all that much. Perhaps it was just because he was caught by surprise. Deciding it was a bit much, she slid her finger out, and Battler let out a breath of relief, his face returning to normal.

"Geez," breathed Battler. "To think...this is only your first time..."

At this remark, Beato's cheeks lightly flushed, but she continued with her bold demeanour: "Oh, that was one of the more _mild_ ones in the book I read..."

"What were you reading, the Kama Sutra, ihihi?" joked Battler. Then, "So...are you ready now?"

Beato looked straight into Battler's eyes. He was just as much a virgin as she was; there was no mistake about that. There was no dark lust behind those sweet eyes of his...there was earnesty and longing.

"I've been ready ever since I said 'I do'," whispered Beato. She placed her hands on his face and drew it towards her lips. Battler then pulled off her panties the rest of the way and they, too, were kicked off the bed.

This left only one clothing item off each of them. Beato supposed she could keep her blouse on, but she longed for Battler to take _all _of her. She moved both his hands to the side of her blouse, indicating just what she wanted him to do.

Battler gently slipped the blouse off, taking each arm out of each sleeve one after the other, before allowing it to fall softly to the bed, exposing the entirety of her body.

Their lips parted ever so slightly. There was more to this than just seeing each other naked...more than just the sex...this was their chance to finally take back what should have been theirs a long time ago.

They were not going to let it slip by ever again.

Battler slipped off his boxers, now taking his turn for Beato to see all of him. He whispered, "Are you sure you're ready?"

"More than I've ever been sure of anything," replied Beato. She and Battler both sat up in bed, their eyes moving to the other's bodies for a few seconds before up to their eyes. There was no doubt about it now.

They were ready.

Battler reached over with one hand. He gently caressed Beato's cheeks before leaning in to kiss her. The kiss was light...for now. Soon, their lips began to move in harmony, and Beato wrapped her arms around Battler's back to draw him closer to her. Battler moved in closer and lowered Beato's body onto the bed, placing her into a half-sitting, half-lying position, her head placed neatly against a propped-up pillow, the rest of her lying there, begging to be taken by him. Their lips parted and Battler sat just above her. He wrapped his legs around hers, leaned in...

...and just like that, his body became a part of hers. They were joined not only in soul, but now in body as well.

Beato let out a stifled moan. It felt somewhat...uncomfortable...but it wasn't long before the feelings of pleasure she felt began to override the dull ache, causing her to relax and able to enjoy it more. As he began to keep up the rhythm, his lips moved down to her neck once again, down to that sweet spot...

Battler then took his turn to catch Beato off-guard: He sunk the edges of his teeth right into that precise spot. Beato felt herself shiver violently, now at last in orgasm's clutches, not wanting to be released.

He was clearly enjoying driving her senses wild.

Well, she was enjoying it just as much.

Battler could feel her hands wrap around his back and her fingernails sink right into the flesh as he kissed her neck, continuing to bite right into it. He thought, _I hope that means I'm doing something right...she looked a little distracted earlier...was I making her feel uncomfortable with the way I...? Well...she seems to be enjoying it now, and that's all that matters._

Contrary to Beatrice's joke in Beato's sudden daydream, she did not utter Kinzo's name even once, nor did such a name run through her mind. It was Battler_, all_ of it was Battler. It was Battler whom she felt deep inside her, whose name which escaped her lips at least two or three times, whose lips traveled around her neck and down to her breasts before moving back up to her lips, whose hands lowered the pillow just behind her so she was flat on the bed, and who gave her satisfactory pleasure.

The pleasure they experienced in that moment was...of many different flavours. It was physical, spiritual, and emotional. The sweat (among other bodily fluids) produced became their sweat. The joy experienced became their joy.

Just as they each rose to their climax, their hands met and squeezed tightly, each longing to make this moment an eternity...to forever be together...

They shared one last long, passionate kiss right before it all ended. Battler rolled over and landed on his back, both he and Beato panting, still recovering from having just made love for the very first time.

Beato closed her eyes, shivering. She muttered, "Battler-san..."

She felt something soft and warm draping over her. She opened her eyes and saw that Battler had just thrown the blankets over them...and he was now holding her in his arms. She whispered, "Battler-san..."

Battler smiled. Beato going 'dere' was just too cute. "Yes?"

"I love you...so much."

Battler kissed Beato on the head. Her hair was just about dried, yet cool and wet. "I love you, too, Beato."

He closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift off into a dreamy unconsciousness. The happy couple lay asleep in bed, having finally consummated their marriage.

* * *

_How could I face the faceless days  
If I should lose you now?  
We're so close  
To reaching that famous happy end  
And almost believing this was not pretend  
Let's go on dreaming for we know we are  
So close  
So close  
And still so far_

_-"So Close", Jon McLaughlin_


	3. Chapter 3

3

"_...and how do you account for the child from nineteen years ago? Is it possible that this child plays a role in the murders?"_

_Battler looked across the court room—he looked over from his parents, to Jessica, to Beato, and finally over to Natsuhi—before turning back to the front. "Knox's first," he declared, setting off a series of blue text, "it is forbidden for the culprit to be anyone not mentioned earlier in the story. With the revelation that the child from nineteen years ago is not me, but my brother, this can be dismissed as a red herring. This is not a character who ever came to the island with me, nor is he anyone in disguise. This would violate the rule of Knox's tenth: It is forbidden for a character to disguise themselves without any clues. There have never been any clues to suggest I am no one other than myself. Therefore, it can be concluded that the child from nineteen years ago has nothing to do with the murders in the present and is nothing more than, as stated, a red herring designed to throw me off track and distract me from my goals."_

_He waited with baited breath. Would this be accepted? Would it be shot down by that cursed red truth? He was tempted to look around the court room, but, like Orpheus on the path to his beloved Eurydice, knew he could not look back, lest the witches see his doubt._

_After what nearly felt like an hour, but was probably only a few minutes, Bernkastel spoke with red flying words: "That is correct. The child from nineteen years ago is only a red herring. Now onto your next question..."_

* * *

Battler slowly opened up his eyes, remembering bits and pieces of his final trial. He remembered standing before the witches, uttering the truth he had longed to reach and had put together...he understood the truth, but it had taken him a while to know how to put it together without accidentally trapping himself into a closed room all over again.

He couldn't help but chuckle at what had happened to him in the sixth game. If only he had seen that one bit...if only...!

If Beato hadn't shown up to save him...

He smiled at the sleeping, golden-haired figure that was curled up in his arms. That's right; it was coming back to him now. He remembered the moment they had shared last night...such a sweet, sweet moment...

He heard a light moan escape Beato's lips. She began to stir and her eyelids fluttered open. She looked into her husband's eyes and smiled, burying her head on his shoulder. He smiled back and kissed the top of her head before moving his lips down her face and onto her own lips.

Beato returned the kiss, lightly running one hand through Battler's red hair. She separated suddenly and lay her head on his chest with a melancholic sigh.

"Still a bit tired?" said Battler.

"It's not that," said Beato slowly. "It's just..."

Beato's eyes welled up with tears, much to her embarrassment. When she tried to blink them back, they spilt over. She gulped and said, "Thank you…for making me feel something other than pain for once in my life. I'm used to being in agony. So…thank you for giving me pleasure, if only for a short while."

Battler felt guilt set in. He had been responsible for her pain. He wasn't sure how much she remembered, but if she remembered what she had gone through…

"I remember, Battler," said Beato, unable to stop the tears now. "I remember the pain."

Battler kissed Beato on the forehead and whispered, "It's okay. I'm sorry for what I put you through." He tilted her chin up. "But it's going to be different from now on. I'll make sure you feel more pleasure. There'll be no more pain, not if I can help it."

Beato looked up into his eyes. "You promise?" her voice quivered.

Battler held her close. "I promise," he whispered.

The two lay in bed in each other's arms for several more minutes before Beato got out of bed to get dressed, while Battler lay in bed a bit longer, still taking everything in.

* * *

Rudolf took a walk through the guest house. It was ten o' clock—the ideal time for Battler and his blushing bride to wake up.

Assuming they weren't sleeping in, that is.

Then again, Rudolf wouldn't put it past his son to get as much time in bed with his wife as possible. Still, he supposed it wouldn't hurt just to check.

Walking right past him was George, who cheerfully quipped, "Good morning, Uncle Rudolf!"

"Morning, George," said Rudolf. "Do you know if Battler is still in bed?"

"I'm not too sure about Battler," said George slowly, "but I think I saw Beato coming out of there just a few minutes ago, wearing her dress from last night. I guess Genji must've had it cleaned last night and laid it out for her this morning. She looked _really_ happy."

"Did she now?" said Rudolf with a smile. "Just _how_ happy was she?"

"As I recall," said George, stroking his chin thoughtfully, "she was almost _singing_ and dancing. She even chirped 'good morning' to me when I passed by. She actually kind of scared me."

_Good,_ thought Rudolf. _Battler was actually listening to me when I told him how to please his wife on their wedding night._

George said, "Oh, and by the way...there's something important I need to tell the entire family at lunch today, so make sure everyone is there."

"Does it have anything to do with you and...Shion?" said Rudolf, struggling to remember the name of George's girlfriend.

"Sayo," corrected George. "Well, yes, it has something to do _with_ us. I'm not entirely sure if it's something my mother would be happy about, but..."

Rudolf laughed, "Ah, Eva always did have something or other up her—good morning!" he said upon seeing Maria skip down the hall.

"Kihihihi," laughed Maria, giving her uncle a creepy grin. "Maria knows what you were going to say, kihihihi..."

She skipped on as though she had heard nothing, but it left Rudolf with an uncomfortable feeling.

* * *

Beato sat outside in the pavilion, happily drinking a cup of black tea, still in a state of euphoria over what had happened last night. She had been thinking about it as she had taken her morning shower and changed into her gown which she found laid out for her in the bathroom. She supposed she should thank Genji for that.

She was startled by the sound of footsteps. When she turned around, she saw it was only Jessica, who had gotten up and dressed for today. Jessica said, "Good morning, Beato. Do you, um...mind if I sit here?"

Beato shrugged. She and Jessica hadn't interacted very much at all, so she was neutral towards the girl who took a seat right next to her. For this reason, things were a bit awkward at first as the two sat together, the only bit of conversation being Jessica muttering if she could have a scone or two. Beato could not figure out just why exactly Jessica had wanted to come out here and sit next to her.

After about ten or so minutes, Jessica spoke out her reason for coming here: "Sorry, I completely forgot—George has an important announcement to make at lunch, and he wants everyone in the family to be there, so..."

"So I'll be there," said Beato. "Am I already regarded as one of the family?"

"Um...I guess so," said Jessica slowly. "He didn't say I _couldn't_ invite you...I just figured, since you're married to Battler..."

"So why not ask _him?"_ said Beato.

"Well...he's still taking a shower," said Jessica, feeling awkward once more.

"Your cousin is very good in bed," spoke Beato. "For a virgin."

"That's…good to know," said Jessica slowly. "Not that I was planning to find out for myself, or anything." Then, "But wait…if you were revived just recently…that would make you a literal born-again virgin, wouldn't it? So it would be your first time, too."

"If you want to be technical," said Beato. She scoffed, "Of course, before I died and then got revived, I was most certainly not…well, rest assured, I, being the Golden Witch, have claimed the virginity of many, many sailors passing by, and…"

Her voice faltered when she heard Jessica snickering, making it clear she did not buy a word of her bluff. She sighed, "Fine, maybe I'm not as experienced as I claim to be, all right?"

"I'm sure Battler would be happy to hear that," said Jessica, unable to contain her smile. She stood up. "Well, I should be going now; I have to pass on George's message to the rest of the family. Thank you for letting me stop by for a few minutes."

Beato went back to sipping her tea as Jessica ran off, thinking to herself about how nice it was to be part of the Ushiromiya family.

* * *

Rudolf stood just outside the bathroom of the bedroom Battler and Beato had shared the night before. Battler had finished taking a shower (if the ceasing of the shower running was any indication), and Rudolf was waiting a few more minutes for his son to get dressed. He recalled an incident where he had accidentally walked in on Battler in the bathroom when he was younger, with that magazine...

Ever since then, he had resolved to knock _before_ walking in.

Now, Rudolf lightly rapped on the door and said, "Battler? It's just your father."

There was a pause on the other side before Battler said: "Come in."

Before opening the door, Rudolf couldn't help but notice the tidiness of the room—he knew there was no way the newlyweds would've cleaned up after themselves in the heat of their passion. He supposed Genji must've come in a bit earlier and cleaned up.

Rudolf opened the door to the bathroom. Battler had changed into more casual clothes—the same black shirt and jeans from yesterday—and was now washing his face. Rudolf attempted to make conversation: "So how did it go?"

Battler splashed his face with water. "Good—no, it was _better_ than good. It went _great."_

Rudolf smiled. "I'm glad to hear that." He then took on a more serious tone: "Did you remember to use the condom I gave you?"

Battler dried his face off with a towel and struggled to remember...he had put the condom in the nightstand drawer so he would remember it...and he had put it on when the moment came...

_Did_ he put it on?

Not wanting to panic his father with the revelation that he did not remember if he had used any form of protection, Battler said, "Of course, dad."

"Good for you," said Rudolf, giving his son a pat on the back. "I'm glad to hear I taught you well."

Battler smiled outwardly. On the inside, he was beginning to panic: _Shit, I forgot. I didn't put it on after all..._

_Well, girls can't get pregnant from every single instance where they have unprotected sex, right? Yeah...Beato and I will be just fine...nothing is going to result from completely losing my senses...we'll be just fine. We'll be more careful from now on, but we'll be just fine._

With this self-assurance in mind, Battler and Rudolf went on to discuss George's possible reasons for wanting everyone in the dining room, and the matter concerning the condom was completely forgotten.

* * *

Noon had befallen the island where upon everyone sat together in the dining room and ate lunch. It was during this meal that George stood up, used one spoon to lightly bang on his water glass, and called out, "Attention please. May I have your attention?"

The idle conversation ceased as George spoke: "As you all know, I proposed to Sayo last night, and she accepted. This morning, we got to talking about wedding dates...we are thinking of arranging a wedding ceremony for either the middle of, or the end of, June. Unfortunately, we do not have time to discuss it now. So..."

"So you wish for us to have another reunion a bit later so we can discuss the details of your wedding," finished Battler.

George nodded. "I was thinking we could all meet up again some time next month...unless that's too inconvenient for everyone..."

"We would all have to check our schedules, but it _could_ be done," said Rudolf slowly. "Perhaps we should all discuss it right now."

Everyone began suggesting dates. October twenty-eighth? No, Rosa and Rudolf were each expected to have an important meeting with their individual businesses. November sixteenth? No, George had a job interview that day.

After a few rounds of trying to figure out the precise date, everyone finally compromised on the second day of November. It was on that day that everyone was to come back to Rokkenjima, where they would stay for about a week in helping plan out the various details of George and Shannon's wedding before leaving while the couple worked out everything else. Then the entire family would be united once again on the twenty-eighth of June (one day before the wedding) so they could all be in attendance for the joyful union.

It seemed like such a perfect plan—what could possibly go wrong?

* * *

It was at three o'clock that afternoon that the boat came back and everyone had to say goodbye—one of these people leaving with a new person in their life.

"Goodbye, Battler!" called out Jessica as she stood with her parents on the docks.

"Goodbye, Jessica!" said Battler as he boarded the boat with his parents and Beato. "Make sure your breasts are nice and perky for me when I arrive, ihihi!"

Beato playfully swatted Battler on the head, knowing he was only teasing. She gave Jessica a brief smile before departing with the rest of the family who was now aboard the boat.

"I'll bet you've never been on a boat before, eh, Beato?" said Battler, taking her to the front.

"No," said Beato, who stood at the railing, eager to know what lay beyond Rokkenjima. "But it looks like a lot of fun."

She and Battler gazed out at the ocean together before turning to each other with a smile and kiss. The moment would have continued to be especially romantic had the boat not started up right then, which caused Battler to stumble and fall to the ground.

"_I'm gonna fall off, I'm gonna fall off, I'm gonna FAAAAALLLL!"_ screeched Battler, though his screams could barely be heard over Beato's whoops of excitement, screaming at the boatman to go faster.

* * *

A few minutes after the departure of the family, Jessica went down to the beach. She smiled as she walked across the sand and observed the waves coming in and out on the sand like a smooth, blue curtain. It had been nice to see her entire family again, especially to have Battler around. It had been too long...

Of course, she hadn't expected to get caught up in Battler's little 'adventure', but she didn't mind it all that much. It would be a memory she would hold dear to herself, and to herself alone. After all, who would ever believe her at school?

Ah yes, school...Jessica remembered then that she had a project to get caught up on that she had been neglecting in favour of the recent affairs. She began to head down the path on the beach leading up to the path...

A strange sight caught Jessica's interest out of the corner of her eye. She stopped to check it out. It was the ocean...the tide had a very strange pattern to it.

"How odd," she muttered. She shrugged it off and headed down the path.

That was when she felt something wet around her ankles. She looked down and realized she was up to her ankles in water.

"Huh?" she said out loud. As far as she could tell, the ocean _was_ further out from her...right? Well, perhaps she had just miscalculated.

Yet when Jessica tried to lift up her feet, the water grew thicker and thicker, preventing her from escape. When she tried to call out for help, her voice caught in her throat, no matter how much effort she made. She was reminded very strongly of those horrible nightmares she used to have of being trapped, of running away from an unknown assailant, and being unable to escape or cry out for help. And for a minute, she thought she was just having a horrible nightmare she'd wake up from.

Yet when she tried to pinch herself to make herself wake up, she did not feel that ethereal numbness one felt from pinching oneself inside a dream; no, she felt a very real sharp pain.

Suddenly, all images before her grew blurry and she felt nauseous and dizzy and above all, scared, not knowing what was happening to her or why.

And in the midst of it all, there was a blonde-haired witch dressed in pink with a hideous expression crying out, almost singing: _"DANCE FOR ME, USHIROMIYA JEESSICAAAA!"_


	4. Chapter 4

4

_November 2, 1986_

"Hurry up, Ange! We leave in five minutes!"

"Coming, onii-chan!"

The day for departure had arrived. Battler and his family were getting ready to return to Rokkenjima. The time was six-thirty in the morning, and everyone had woken up only an hour before—it was an ungodly hour to be awake at, but it was better to be wake up early and get everything ready than to sleep in for a bit and leave in a rush. After all, the flight was at eight-thirty and the boat would be waiting for them at around ten.

"Now Ange," said Kyrie as she bent down to Ange's size and helped her get her coat on, "if, at any point during our stay on Rokkenjima, you suddenly feel ill, tell me or your father or your brother right away, okay? There'll be a doctor on the island, so if you get sick, he can take a look at you."

"But I'm all better now, mom," said Ange. "I'm not sick anymore."

"Yes, I know you got past that flu bug after we came back, but just as a precaution, don't be afraid to ask for anything if you don't fell well, all right?" said Kyrie with a light ruffle of Ange's hair before standing up.

"All right," sighed Ange, feeling weary from waking up so early.

Battler smiled at Ange. "Cheer up, Ange," he said. "You have another chance to see your cousins after missing out the first time. Just think of all the fun you'll have with Maria, or Jessica, or George, if he has the time."

"I'd rather play with _you,_ onii-chan," said Ange, looking up at Battler with such bright eyes.

Battler smiled. "Maybe I'll join in with you," he said.

"And will Beato join, too?" said Ange. "Is she feeling better now?"

A few days ago, Beato had been sick with some sort of stomach bug; she had crawled to the bathroom to vomit only once, but she stayed in bed just in case she had something_, _lest it spread to Ange. In addition to, she had also felt very tired and fell asleep easily. She was all better the next day, but still felt tired and nauseous. Battler hoped she'd be feeling officially better by today.

"She said she was feeling fine last night," said Battler. "So I'm sure she'll be up for anything when we get there."

"Speaking of which," said Rudolf, "how long has it been since she went to get dressed?"

Beato, in her excitement and drowsiness from having woken up early in the morning, had only realized just ten minutes ago she was still wearing her pyjamas and ran to the room she and Battler shared (which was the guest room on the first floor) to change. She was taking a bit long for something that should've taken only five minutes.

"I'm sure she'll be out and ready before we leave, dad," said Battler calmly.

Rudolf looked up at the clock anxiously. "If she isn't out by the time the cab gets here," he began, but was cut off when Beato burst out of her and Battler's room, carrying her suitcase. She ran up to the four and said breathlessly, "So when's the cab getting here?"

"In about five minutes," said Rudolf. "I don't think there'd be anything wrong with us going outside to wait."

As they walked outside, Beato decided to not explain the reason she had taken a bit long to get dressed, for it was an issue neither Rudolf nor Battler would understand (to say nothing of the least it would be embarrassing for Rudolf to know more so than Battler as he had already seen it all), and Kyrie was too busy attending to Ange to help.

The night before, she had laid everything out perfectly…she had her blouse, vest, jacket, and tie to go with the new pants she had bought with Kyrie a while back. She had even laid out the underwear to avoid a last-minute panic in the morning. The plan was that as soon as she woke up ( or, in this case, as soon as she remembered), she would change right into the planned-out outfit, rush out for a quick breakfast, and then leave in the cab with everyone else.

Only…she had a bit of a problem. Namely, with the bra. Recently, she had a bit of trouble with the new bras she and Kyrie had bought together during their shopping spree. They fit her just fine for the first few weeks. But sometime around last week, two of these bras no longer fit her. The rest could be adjusted to fit, but she had discovered this morning that the bra she had laid out also no longer fit. There was only one other bra that had not been packed yet and thankfully, it was one she could adjust to fit, and one that felt comfortable against her breasts, which had grown sore and tender.

Was it part of her mysterious stomach ailment? Or was it something else...?

Well, she _had_ been exercising a _bit_ strenuously the night before when she and Battler took Ange to the playground. Yes, perhaps she had just pushed herself a bit too hard and was feeling sore.

And that was all.

* * *

Jessica sat up in bed, listening to the sounds of the ocean lightly crashing against the rocks. She had woken up at seven o'clock and it was now seven-thirty. She was trying her usual method of getting herself back to sleep after waking up too early—by listening to the various sounds outside—but it was no good.

There was one recurrent thought that kept her from going back to sleep...

It was her deal with the witch.

Jessica closed her eyes, remembering what had happened nearly a month ago in all too vivid detail...

* * *

"_H—hello?" called out Jessica, feeling very scared of the darkness that surrounded her. Where was she? What happened? One minute, she was walking down the beach. The next, she was in the dark._

_Was this some sort of prank? Was it a sign of things to come?_

_A reverberating cackle._

_Jessica spun around and cried out, "Who's there?"_

_The cackle grew louder._

_Jessica felt her knees tremble but she took a deep breath and called out, "Whoever is out there, show yourself!"_

_She reached inside her pocket for her brass knuckles..._

_She froze midway at the sight of something pink...something slowly, slowly forming...until at last, the image shown became a witch with short blonde hair dressed entirely in pink—she was wearing a pink hat, a pink dress, pink striped tights, and pink shoes. The one inch of her clothing that had not the slightest trace of pink was her black, elbow-length gloves. She did not have to address herself as a witch; Jessica just knew she was a witch. She didn't know how; she just knew._

"_Who...who are you?" said Jessica, struggling to keep herself calm, sensing she was in grave danger._

_The pink witch let out an almost childlike laugh, which should've made her seem less intimidating...yet here, given the circumstances, did the exact opposite._

"_You've seen my face before," said the pink witch in an equally childish voice, "Remember the Court of Illusions? When Battler was having his finest moment?"_

_Jessica furrowed her brow. Now that she mentioned it, the witch did look familiar..._

"_Right," said Jessica slowly, "you're...Lady Lambdadelta, right? Miss thirty-four?"_

"_Good to see you're up-to-date with your Greek numbers," said Lambdadelta with a smile. "Yes, it is I, Lady Lambdadelta, the Witch of Certainty!"_

_She cackled once more. Now, her laugh was more irritating than intimidating, but it still left a feeling of uneasiness in the pit of Jessica's stomach. Jessica put on a brave face and said, "Why did you bring me...here...wherever we are? What do you want from me?"_

_Still smiling, Lambdadelta said, "Well now see, that little game your cousin played with Beato was fun while it lasted, but in my opinion it was over too quick before it even got to the really good part. And I had this other game with Bern—I mean, Lady Bernkastel—that lasted even longer, and was soooo much fun!"_

_She sighed, "But then it was over before I even knew it. And so, I would like to play another game."_

_Jessica was tempted to snort, "You call playing with people's lives continuously a game?" But she instead said, "What game do you want to play? What is it you want me to do?"_

_A look of surprise sprang in Lambdadelta's eyes. "What?" she said. "You're not going to protest? You're not going to demand I set you free or whatever it is you noble and brave heroes do? You're just going to accept that you'll be in my struggle for who knows how long, maybe even for all eternity if I can get away with it?"_

"_Well, I just used common sense," said Jessica, keeping up a bold demeanour. "I figured you'd get a twisted pleasure out of seeing me cry and beg to be let go. And I knew you wouldn't let me go even if I asked. So the way I see it, I have a choice—I can either live fighting, die fighting, or live cowardly, die cowardly. And frankly, I would rather take the former option. So go ahead—whatever it is you have in store for me, bring it on."_

_Lambdadelta's face twitched—then she burst out laughing, "You've got spunk, kid! You're taking this a hell of a lot better than your cousin did when this happened to him, ha-ha-ha! This just makes me look all the more forward to the challenge I have in store for you! I always did love toys that took longer to break!"_

_Not once backing down, Jessica said, "So what exactly do you have in mind?"_

_Lambdadelta's eyes lit up and her grin changed to one of an older sibling hiding a special toy from their younger sibling: "Oooh, I don't think I should tell you just yet. That would only ruin the surprise! For now, I'll send you back. The next time your entire family arrives, I will bring you back here, where the rules of our new game will be laid out. Think you can handle that? Good. Until then...SEE YOU AGAAAAIIINN!"_

* * *

Today...the entire family was to arrive in just a few hours..._today..._

Jessica sighed and her head fell back down on the pillow. She did not know _what_ Lambdadelta had in store for her, but she could tell she wasn't being summoned for a simple game of checkers.

_Whatever it is...I hope it's something I can handle as much as Battler could,_ was Jessica's last thought before drifting back to sleep.

* * *

The time was ten-thirty. The place was the boat leading the family to their destination: Rokkenjima.

"Ya know, Battler," spoke Hideyoshi, "if you really dislike being on deck so much, you should just come down here below deck."

"C—can't!" gasped Battler as he clutched onto the railing for dear life. "If—If I let go for even a second—I might—_FAAAALLLL!"_

Hideyoshi sighed and went down below deck, saying to the others, "Well, can't say I didn't offer him. At least Beato's enjoying herself easy enough."

Hideyoshi, however, could not see the look of nausea on Beato's face at that moment.

Ignoring Battler's cries of "FALL, FALL, I'M GONNA FAAAALLLL!", Beato grimaced and leaned over the railing. She had been dizzy and nauseous on the plane, but managed to pull through without getting sick. While she was no longer dizzy, she still felt waves of nausea that would come and go at the airport, and during the walk down to the boat. Even then, she had managed to keep everything down.

Now, during the boat ride, she felt as though she were about to lose what little breakfast she had. The smell of the sea air did nothing to help with the rough motions of the boat.

It was something that puzzled her. During the boat ride back to shore only a month ago, Beato had never gotten seasick, and in fact enjoyed the ride all the way back. For that matter, she did not feel any motion sickness from the airplane, either, and spent almost the entire time staring out the window in wonderment. So why should she be feeling seasick here of all places?

Well…the ride _did_ feel a_ little_ rougher since the last time; and besides, in addition to her stomach being half-empty on the plane, some of the food offered wasn't exactly first-class dining…or even third-class.

Beato clutched the railing even tighter, feeling her stomach lurch forward. She wasn't sure if she'd be able to keep it down for much longer…

Battler stopped crying out in fear when he heard retching from just across him. Still clutching on to the railing, he turned to see Beato leaning over from just across him and vomiting into the ocean. He slowly moved a few inches closer towards her and said, "Beato? Are you okay?"

Beato, who had by now settled down, said, "I'll be fine; I'm just a little seasick. Damn boat captain is going too fast."

At a sudden rock, Battler let out a cry and fell to his knees, still clutching onto the rail. "You can say that again," he said through clenched teeth.

Beato let out a slight chuckle. Yes, the boat _was_ going faster...everything moved too fast nowadays...

* * *

"Good morning, Jessica," said Kanon as he watered the roses in the rose garden, contributing to their morning beauty.

Jessica yawned, "Good morning Ka—I mean...Yoshiya."

"You look tired," said Kanon. He put down the watering can and lightly brushed one of Jessica's cheeks. "Were you up all night with any concern?"

Jessica's breath caught at Kanon's gentle touch. Not wanting to worry him, and realizing it was all useless as there was really nothing he could do about it, she said, "Oh, I...I was woken up by the waves outside early this morning. They were a bit loud."

"Indeed," nodded Kanon. He cleared his throat and said, "Well...I must get back to work."

"Yes," said Jessica quickly, taking a few steps back, suddenly feeling slightly embarrassed. "We'll talk later."

She ran past the garden, past the roses which passed by in a blur, and kept on running in a state of near-blindness, longing to get away from it all, until at last, she stopped at the docks.

Just up ahead was the vastly approaching boat.

Jessica wondered if she should go get her parents or not...then decided she might as well stay; from just behind her, she could see Kumasawa coming down the path to join her. She put on a smile, prepared to greet everyone when they arrived, pretending nothing out of the ordinary had happened to her.

Yes, indeed, she was to play pretend...but she could only play pretend for so long...like most of her family...


	5. Chapter 5

5

Jessica felt slightly more at ease as she led her cousins to their usual room and helped each of them unpack. She decided she may as well enjoy the time she had with them now before Lambdadelta summoned her back...in case she never got to see them again at all...

"It's great to have you here with us, Ange," said Jessica as she helped Ange unpack her various clothes. "I missed you at the last reunion."

"I was sick," said Ange, looking down at her feet, "but I'm all better now."

"Uu, Ange!" said Maria excitedly. "Did you go out for Halloween this year?"

"Yeah, Battler onii-chan took me," said Ange, crawling up onto the bed where Maria sat. "I was a black cat."

"Uu, Maria went as Beato!" said Maria proudly.

Beato smiled and sat down on the bed to ease her slight dizziness.

"Battler," said George as he laid out miscellaneous items on the top of the drawer, "how have things been going for you and Beato?"

"Oh, they've been going pretty good," said Battler nonchalantly. He sat down on the bed next to Beato and smiled at her as he spoke: "Beato's been driving me crazy with those darn chess games of hers...as usual. I ought to kill the old bastard for buying Kyrie a chessboard for her birthday, ihihi!"

"Muu, but it's so much fun," cooed Beato, placing her head on Battler's shoulder. She looked up at him and blinked innocently. Her look reminded Battler of when he had to study to catch up with the work he had missed when he came back home, and she would wordlessly beg him to stop studying and play with her by sitting just across him, resting her head on her folded arms on the table, and blinking.

"Wait, there's two things my dad asked me to tell you about," said Jessica quickly. "First...are you two okay here, or would you rather have a private room?"

"Eh, a private room would be nice, but we'll still come here once in a while," shrugged Battler. "What's the second thing?"

"Well," said Jessica slowly, "my mom got to talking with my dad...she said that since you solved the riddle and saved us all...you should be dad's succession...as head of the Ushiromiya family."

Battler sat straight up, not expecting to hear this. "Wait, _me?"_ he said, thinking he had heard Jessica wrong, "Your parents want..._me_ to be the next head after Uncle Krauss?"

"Well, it took a bit of convincing on dad's part as he had no memory of what had happened," said Jessica, "but yes—at twelve-thirty today, you are to attend the family meeting with all of the adults and discuss matters such as what to do with the family fortune, and some of the arrangements for George and Shannon's wedding."

"Really?" said Battler, feeling weak in the stomach. How could _he,_ of all people, be expected to carry the family on his shoulders? What if he said or did something that cost the family its remaining fortune _and_ the family's reputation? He couldn't do this; just because he saved everyone's lives didn't mean...

"Could I come to the meeting?" asked Ange.

"Ange, the meeting is for the adults," said Battler slowly, "so, um...why don't you stay out here and play with the cousins for a bit during that time, okay? You'll get to use that time to catch up with Jessica and Maria, and maybe even also to bond with Beato a bit more."

Ange lightened up at this. She had some trouble adjusting to having Beato around the house at first; after all, she had only expected her parents and older brother to return to her...not her older brother with a new bride! As the weeks wore on, however, she slowly began to open up to Beato and nearly considered her as an older sister.

"Uu, Maria might even get to show Ange her costume, uu!" said Maria.

As the cousins began to discuss what they would do to entertain themselves while Battler went out to prove himself in the family meeting, Jessica wondered if any one of them might be able to help her. Battler had been in a similar situation not too long ago, as did Beato (did she still have any magic left?)...Maria, assuming she still had belief in witches, might help...George would probably be of no use and besides, he had other things to worry about—his upcoming wedding with Shannon.

"...right, Jessica?"

"Huh?" Jessica snapped out of her thoughts. "What was that now?"

George said, "I was just mentioning how the boatman will be coming back during our meeting to take orders for groceries. Jessica, do you think you might be up to the task of delivering the orders?"

Jessica only hoped she wouldn't already be whisked off by then, but she said, "I'll see to it."

* * *

The time for Battler's meeting had arrived all too quickly. He wasn't sure just when he'd be out; he had been told this meeting might take a few hours but had not been given a precise time for when it was supposed to end. He had nightmarish visions in his head of being stuck in the dining room giving the meeting for three whole days, without once stopping to eat or go to the bathroom.

Needless to say, he was very jumpy as he gave the young, female cousins in the rose garden (haven eaten an early lunch) gave him a brief farewell and wished him luck.

"Uu, good luck, Battler!" said Maria. "Maria thinks you won't do bad at all! Just make sure mama's in a good mood, okay? Uu!"

"Uh...sure, I will," said Battler slowly, envisioning Rosa suddenly having one of her "moods" in the middle of the meeting and taking her anger out on Battler with a Winchester rifle, a gold ingot, and a fountain pen.

"You'll be _fine,"_ said Jessica, giving Battler a pat on the back. "Just think of it as taking a math test."

Battler's throat went dry, for he was beginning to remember that awful day in his first year of high school when he, having been out sick with a cold for a few days and thus not having the energy to study, was suddenly sprung with a surprise math test and knew _nothing_ of the material that had been gone over when he was sick, and nearly failed. He had _barely_ passed it.

"Onii-chan," said Ange, "will you ask George-aniki if I could be the flower girl at his wedding?"

"Um, yeah, I'll check," said Battler in a nervous laugh. What if Eva wanted some other rich girl to be the flower girl, or some other rich girls to be the bridesmaids and fought fiercely over it?

Beato gave Battler a peck on the lips and say, "Good luck, Battler-san."

"Thank you," said Battler. "I'm sure I'll need it."

He took off running towards the doors of the mansion and burst right through them, leaving behind the four girls.

"Battler onii-chan scares easy," remarked Ange.

"Well, it _is_ a big responsibility," said Jessica. "And since it's being bestowed upon him for the first time..."

"Uu, Beato, what do you think of Maria's costume?" asked Maria, twirling around in the dress her mother had made her: It was a dark red top with white shoulder pads sewn on, with a long dark skirt with felt eagles also sewn on. It was a crude image of Beato's original dress, but she had to admire it for effort.

"It looks very nice, Maria," said Beato.

"Uu, thank you!" said Maria, beaming. "Mama and I worked hard on it together! Mama took time off work to help Maria, uu!"

Ange ran up to the flowers and took a deep breath of the fresh smell of roses in bloom. "Mmm, these smell pretty," she said. "Come over here, Beato!"

The smell of the flowers was all right for Beato...from a distance. She wasn't sure if she could handle them up close, but she walked up to Ange and decided to stay for only a minute. She inhaled the scent along with Ange.

She instantly regretted it.

Beato drew back as though she had been slapped, feeling her stomach rocking like the boat only a few hours ago. She held a hand to her mouth, trying to keep her semi-contents down.

"Don't you like the smell of flowers?" said Ange, looking a bit hurt.

Beato gulped and managed to keep herself from getting sick right at that spot. She said, "Oh, it's just been a while since I last—"

Her hand flew back up to her mouth again and her eyes bulged as she made a mad dash for the guest house. Worried, Ange turned to Jessica and Maria.

"Beato was sick a few days ago," she explained. "Do you think she's still sick now?"

"I hope not," said Jessica. "You girls follow me; we'll go see how she's doing."

The three girls ran in Beato's direction, who had long disappeared into the guest house, which was their next destination.

* * *

Battler stood outside the dining room doors, pacing back and forth nervously. He had arrived a bit early; the other adults had yet to arrive back.

What would he say? How would he act? Would Eva be angry that her son didn't get the position of next head as she had hoped?

Rudolf, who was standing nearby, remarked, "You look more nervous than a man caught cheating on his wife by the neighbours."

"And you'd know that _how?"_ muttered Battler, not even bothering to laugh. He was too nerve-wracked to even _think_ about laughing.

"Watch it, brat," said Rudolf warningly. He then laughed, "Just relax. Who knows—maybe you'll be better at coming to businesses decisions than your own uncle! Just don't make any mistakes that could ruin the family reputation, and you'll be fine."

* * *

The three girls stopped at the room they shared. They could hear Beato lightly moaning from a small distance. Jessica turned to Maria and Ange and said, "You girls wait out here. I'll go check on Beato."

Jessica walked through the bedroom and stopped just outside the door to the bathroom, where Beato was standing just above the sink, trembling.

"Beato?" said Jessica. "Are you all right?"

Beato said slowly, "I—I think I might be all right if—I—just—"

Her eyes widened. She leaned over the sink and vomited right into it. Jessica winced and took a step back. "Um," she said awkwardly, "when you're done in there, may I use the bathroom? I, um...have something I need to take care of..."

When Beato stopped vomiting, she panted, "Yes. You can use the bathroom now."

She walked right past Jessica, closing the door behind her. She walked up to the bed and collapsed onto it, feeling exhausted.

"Uu, are you all right, Beato?" said Maria worriedly.

Half-awake, Beato muttered, "I'm just tired from waking up early to go to the airport, that's all. And I'm still a little sick. I'm going to take a nap for a while, okay?"

Maria and Ange turned to each other with a worried glance before going outside to play in the hall. Beato closed her eyes and felt herself drift off...

* * *

"_Denial," scoffed a familiar voice. "What a concept. You could very well be the definition for it!"_

"_Mmph," muttered Beato. She opened up her eyes. She was in the same dark space, with the same person: Her other self._

"_You seem tired," remarked the other Beato. "But that's to be expected, given your...condition..."_

"_What are you talking about?" said Beato, slowly standing up._

"_Oh, you know perfectly well what I'm talking about," said the other Beato with a smile. "You've known all along. You just don't want to face up to it because it could change your relationship with Battler—for the better or the worse, and you don't want to find out which."_

"_Oh? And what is it exactly?"_

"_I can't tell you that, because you already know it. You need to admit it to yourself before you can admit it to others."_

"_And what is it you mean, precisely?" said Beato, feeling more and more confused by her elder sister's cryptic words._

_The only answer she received was,__ "Why don't you check your calendar for certain dates of certain events?"_

* * *

Beato opened her eyes at the sound of the bathroom door opening. She yawned and sat up, only to see a flustered Jessica. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I wake you?" she said quickly.

Beato shook her head, still feeling a bit groggy.

"Okay, um..." Jessica bit her lip, feeling a bit self-conscious. "Beato...there's something...personal...that I need to ask you."

Jessica walked up to the door and noticed Maria and Ange talking about their lives together just out in the hall. She closed the door, walked up to the bed, and sat next to Beato. "It's a...womanly issue..." Jessica began. "You see...my period came yesterday, and I just used up the last tampon in the house. Like, there aren't any more pads or tampons in any of the other bathrooms. Trust me, I _always_ do a double-check in _all_ of the bathrooms in the house, and we're just about out. So...would it be okay if I used one of yours? I don't care if it's a pad or a tampon."

Beato sat up and said, "Sure, why not; I haven't used it in over a mon—"

She froze mid-sentence as she realized something:

She had not had a period in over a month.

And she was supposed to have started nearly two weeks ago.

Beato's eyes met Jessica's. They were both beginning to realize the daunting implications behind this...

Beato groaned, _"Damn."_


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I would just like to apologize for any Ep6-related errors right now, in advance, and for any past errors already made; while I do try to do as much research as possible, sometimes I miss the mark ever so slightly.**

6

Battler sat at the head of the table, all eyes on him. The meeting had begun, all adults were sitting neatly in their seats, and he was to get things started. He cleared his throat several times, suddenly feeling as though an invisible hand had reached down his throat and stolen his voice box.

Seeing how nervous Battler was feeling, George decided to help him out by getting the conversation started: "Battler, would you like to discuss the upcoming wedding? Perhaps where it could take place?"

"Uh...wherever you like, George," shrugged Battler. "But...I don't know, maybe...this is just a suggestion, so don't take it at total face value, but...um...here? On Rokkenjima? Maybe in that chapel grandfather had built many years ago? Maybe it doesn't _have_ to be a traditional Shinto wedding? Those Western-style weddings are becoming more popular."

George's eyes lit up beneath his glasses. "That's actually not a bad idea," he remarked. "I was thinking of finding a chapel in town, but it would be fitting in a way—after all, this island was where we met, fell in love, and got engaged. And now, it could be the place for us to marry and have our honeymoon."

Battler was alerted by the sound of Eva snapping her fan shut. The look in Eva's eyes narrowed as she spoke: "I have looked all over town for the perfect place to have George married in. I have catered to his wish to be married to...that servant girl...when I otherwise wouldn't have. And yet now, you wish to disregard my attempts to make my son happy?"

"Mom, it's okay," said George quickly, noticing Battler tugging at his collar, "I think Battler's suggestion is a very good one. It's one I wouldn't have thought of otherwise."

"But how could we afford to come back here?" said Rosa. "It cost me enough money to make two trips within a few weeks."

"Um...don't make any other plans to go anywhere outside of Japan?" suggested Battler weakly, thinking, _This is going downhill a little too fast..._

Hideyoshi burst out laughing, causing Battler to jump a foot in his seat. "Good idea, young man!" laughed Hideyoshi joyfully. "Good idea!"

Battler laughed nervously and slumped down in his seat, only to sharply shoot up when he felt his father (who was sitting in the first chair to his left) jab him in the ribs and hiss, "Don't embarrass me!"

Battler cleared his throat with a loud _"AHEM!"_ He spoke once more: "We would have to hire someone to perform the ceremony. We will look into an assortment of ministers who might be able to..."

Battler felt himself relax bit by bit as the meeting wore on and he found it easier to discuss these matters, feeling much calmer.

* * *

Had he known that his wife was taking three, crucial tests while he was still in the meeting at around three-thirty in the afternoon, however, he would not feel quite so calm.

"Are you _sure_ these things work?" said Beato irritably, shaking the small stick in hopes for it to turn any colour other than red. She and Jessica were in the bathroom after going through each test—_none_ of which gave Beato the answer she wanted. "Are you even sure I took it right? It seems incredibly undignified, in my opinion..."

"Yes, Beato," sighed Jessica, having been asked this several times before. "The instructions clearly say you're supposed to pee on it and wait for about thirty minutes before it shows any results."

Beato continued to shake it. "How does it being red even relate to whether or not I'm pregnant? What if it turned _purple?"_

"It _wouldn't,"_ said Jessica exasperatedly. "Look, there's a very complicated science behind it and we don't have all day. And anyway, that's the third one to come back positive, so..."

"Can't you just go out to get a few more?" asked Beato, who gave up on shaking the stick and threw it in the wastebasket.

Jessica glared at Beato. "The boatman gave me a funny look when I, of all people, told him to drop off three pregnancy tests in addition to our groceries. I told him they were for one of the other women on the island, and he seemed to be okay with that, but I don't think he'd believe me if I called back for more." She sighed, "Look, these things aren't totally accurate, so how about you go see Dr. Nanjo just to confirm it? He's a doctor; he'll know for sure."

"I guess," muttered Beato. She rubbed her head. "We should've been more careful on our honeymoon...what am I going to tell Battler? I don't think he'd leave me, but..."

"He wouldn't," said Jessica firmly. "Not after all you've been through—from what I've heard him say in the Court of Illusions, he was pretty devastated when he thought you were dead for good. He wouldn't take your presence for granted ever again, especially now that you two are married."

Beato took the other tests and tossed them aside into the wastebasket. "So," she said, "should we go see Dr. Nanjo?"

* * *

Beato felt small as she sat on a stool in Kinzo's study, watching Dr. Nanjo injecting a small mouse that had been caught earlier that day with a sample of her own urine. She hoped there had been something wrong with those three tests she had taken earlier, but knew deep down there had been no mistake. Dr. Nanjo himself had remarked that having three tests come back positive did indeed point to the possibility of a pregnancy, but assured her she was right to come to him as they weren't always accurate.

"Now we will wait for about, oh, three days," said Dr. Nanjo, now placing the mouse into a tiny little box. "By that time, I will have the mouse dissected. If there is presence of ovulation despite its immaturity, then..."

Beato realized she had been unconsciously swinging her feet against the stool and promptly stopped. She could hear Dr. Nanjo's kind words: "I won't tell any of the family about this. But I assure you that Battler is a kind young man who will support you no matter what."

"Good to know," muttered Beato, getting off the stool. "Jessica and I will be off now."

As Beato and Jessica began to walk off together out into the hall, Beato thought, _How does that saying from those romance novels go again—something about a man planting his seed deep inside a woman's womb?_

"Beato," spoke Jessica, "there's something I need to talk to you about...can we go to my room to talk?"

* * *

In Jessica's room, the two young women sat together on the bed, the only sound being that of raindrops lightly splashing the windows. "First of all," said Jessica, fidgeting with the pink blankets, "I have to ask...about the baby, um..."

"Jessica, you _can't_ tell _anyone_ about this, _especially_ not Battler," said Beato sharply.

"I understand, and I promise to keep quiet about this," said Jessica. "But you know, you'll have to tell Battler eventually. This concerns him, too."

"I'd rather not think about that right now," muttered Beato, hoping she could put off telling the family as long as possible...or at least, until the results came back. "What was the other thing you wanted to talk to me about?"

Jessica wasn't quite sure how to explain it. She knew Beato might understand, but _how_ to explain was the question. "I don't know exactly how to put this," she said slowly, "but...speaking of Battler, I'm sort of in a situation that's just like his from last month."

"What do you mean?" said Beato slowly.

"Well..." Jessica drew a breath, "Last month, not long after you all left, I was approached by Lambdadelta and—"

"_Lady Lambdadelta?"_ said Beato, once again using a sharp tone.

"Yes, and—"

"Whatever it was she wanted from you, you didn't give in to it, did you?"

"Um...that's the thing...I did, and...we're due to start with whatever it is she wants today."

Beato groaned, "Jessica, you've _got_ to be careful. You don't know just how—never mind, what's done is done. What was it she wanted?"

"She didn't say," said Jessica. "But, as I mentioned, she said we were going to start today. I know you and Battler were in a situation like this before, so I was wondering if you could somehow help."

Beato closed her eyes and was silent for several minutes, which worried Jessica. What was she thinking? Was she thinking of a way to somehow help her? Or was she delaying time so she wouldn't have to help at all?

* * *

"_Onee-sama," spoke Beato, "Please appear before me. There is something important I need to speak to you about." She paused and added, "I am sorry for any past...rudeness..."_

_Her counter-part appeared and scoffed, "So glad to see you've finally decided to take up a bit more respect with me. I understand that, as you gain more of your memories and thus more of your independence, you're starting to tire of me because you long to create your own life instead of having me explain it to you. Still, you could be a little more polite. I actually miss the days when we got along so well in the beginning."_

"_Yes, well, sorry about that," said Beato awkwardly, "I'll try to be more...civil...but anyway, there is something important I need your help—or rather, Jessica needs your help."_

"_Ah, is she that girl whom you entrust your little secret with, eh?" said the other Beato with a slight smile. "Whatever is it she needs help with?"_

"_It's Lady Lambdadelta," said Beato. "She has been chosen as her new plaything. I myself will not be able to go with her to her first meeting with Lady Lambdadelta. However, do you think you might be able to go with her and guide her, possibly even protect her?"_

_The other Beato pursed her lips. "I suppose it might be possible," she said slowly. "Very well, then. Tell Jessica I'll go with her if she needs me. While I'm gone, however, you will be taking a nap. No one will be suspicious over that, considering the time you had to get up for the airport today."_

"_Right," nodded Beato. "Good luck."_

* * *

Beato opened her eyes and turned to Jessica. "I will not be able to go with you," she said, "but my counter-part will."

"Your...counter-part?" said Jessica slowly, not quite sure just where Beato was getting at.

"Yes, it's...a long story," said Beato, "but she will accompany you on your meeting with Lady Lambdadelta."

Beato was about to explain more when Jessica let out a sudden cry and felt the floor beneath her shift. Realizing she had little time left before leaving, Beato grabbed onto Jessica's hand and whispered, _"She'll be with you."_

* * *

When Jessica opened her eyes, she was surprised to see she was not in the same, dark space from her first meeting with Lambdadelta...but rather, a small room almost resembling a tea parlour. The windows were a dark shade of blue, showing neither sun nor rain nor any indication to the weather, if she was in a world with weather at all. There were a few chairs against the white walls, but in the middle lay a table, almost like a tea table, with two chairs facing opposite one another.

"Ah," spoke a familiar voice, "this brings back memories."

Jessica turned around, expecting to see Beato...only, this woman _looked_ like Beato, but there were a few significant...differences. For starters, her hair was down, long and loose; when Beato had arrived, she had her hair up in a bun (though not her usual bun; as she had almost no time to do it up, it was rather messy with a rose clumsily placed in). Also, she was not wearing the new pair of navy blue pants; she was wearing her skirt, thigh-high socks, and boots, completing the Zettai Ryouiki look.

"Er...Beato?" said Jessica, confused, "Did you quickly change, or...?"

"I am her counterpart," spoke the woman, her voice sounding slightly more confident than Beato, "I have been with Beato for quite some time...ever since she was revived, as a matter of fact. I represent all the legends surrounding the original Beatrice. As Beato said, however, explaining the entire story behind my existence would take up too much time, which we have almost none of."

Almost as soon as she was done talking, there was a burst of gold and standing right before Jessica and Beato was Lady Lambdadelta with a playful grin. Upon seeing Jessica's partner, she cackled, "A-ha-ha-ha! I always loved having two toys to play with at once, ha-ha-ha! Oh, but _this_ toy is so _boring_—didn't I get tired of playing with you a long time ago?"

"Rest assured, I am not here to stay, Lady Lambdadelta," said Beato coolly. "I am here as long as Jessica needs me."

"Ah," sighed Lambdadelta, taking her seat in one of the chairs and kicking up her feet, "Just as I thought: This new kid will be _way_ more entertaining than _you."_

Jessica took a seat opposite Lambdadelta, with Beato standing just above her. "You spoke of a new game earlier," she said. "Whatever it is, I am ready for it."

"You sure?" said Lambdadelta, holding back a giggle. "I think this one is going to be _reeeeally_ interesting for _you!"_

"Well, I would need to see it to know what it is," said Jessica, hoping she could at least keep up a facade of confidence long enough.

"Before we begin," spoke Lambdadelta, looking like a murder mystery author about to reveal the stunning conclusion to their readers, "there is someone who will be very crucial to our game. Someone I'd like you to meet."

With a snap of her fingers, there was a burst of gold just beside her. The person who appeared looked very much like Battler—red hair, dark eyes, even the same facial features. For all intents and purposes, the person _could_ have been Battler. Yet there were indeed a few physical differences—the young man's red hair reached his shoulders, almost resembling a mullet. His suit, though resembling Battler's in design, was decked entirely in black. And upon his face, he wore a look of contempt.

"Greetings, Ushiromiya Jessica," he spoke, his voice nearly chilling Jessica to the bone, "We meet for the first time."

"Who...who are you?" said Jessica, frowning. This person...there was something about him that made him feel...closer to her...yet she knew this was their first time meeting...

And then the young man spoke:

"I am your brother...the one whom your—_our_—mother nearly killed nineteen years ago."


	7. Chapter 7

7

"Stand there with your mouth like that for much longer and you'll catch flies," joked Lambdadelta.

Jessica realized she had been standing there with her mouth gaping and promptly shut it. She gave this man a second glance over. She remembered Battler mentioning something about the child from nineteen years ago being the son Rudolf had with Asumu who was given to Natsuhi...yes, she remembered it from the trial quite clearly now. But what did this man from nineteen years ago have to do with Lambdadelta's challenge now?

As if she could read her mind, Lambdadelta said, "I'll bet you're wondering just what this kid has to do with my little game. See, that's the whole point—that's the whole challenge. Your incompetent cousin managed to win but still acknowledge Beato's existence, just not as a witch. And that is what you must do: In order for this guy to exist, you have to acknowledge him."

"Er...explain, please?" said Jessica, feeling a bit lost and confused.

Lambdadelta sighed, "All right, if I have to speak in baby-talk, fine: You have to come up with an explanation as to how he could've survived falling off that cliff all those years ago. You have to explain his survival, who rescued him, who was in on it, who took him in, and most importantly, how he could be reunited with his family on Rokkenjima."

That sounded simple enough. Jessica didn't think there were _that_ many complications behind it. Beato, however, sensed a catch, so she said, "Jessica, be careful. You must pay as much attention to what _isn't_ being said as well as what _is_ being said." She lightly chuckled, "As I can tell you from experience, witches can be _very_ tricky when striking a bargain."

"Well, what do I have to lose?" shrugged Jessica.

"Nothing, apart from the brother you could've had," said Lambdadelta innocently. "So is it a deal, or not?"

Jessica was not quite sure what Lambdadelta would do to her if she refused. And besides, her offer sounded fairly harmless. It wasn't like she was being asked to slay a monster whose heads kept growing back with each slaying.

"I accept your challenge," said Jessica boldly.

Beato sighed, "Well, if anything happens to you, don't say you weren't warned."

"Aw, why do you have to be so suspicious, Beato?" said Lambdadelta teasingly. "We're just having a little fun!" Then, "There are two things we need to do before we start. First, you have to give this man a name. It would get kind of boring to keep calling him 'that red-headed guy' or 'that guy who looks suspiciously like Battler' or even just 'that man'."

"Indeed, sister," said the man, taking a seat. "Do give me a name; I, too, am named "Battler", but I think it would get too confusing after a while. What would be a most worthy name for myself?"

"Hmm," said Jessica, stroking her chin, "well...I remember Battler once complained to me that the main reason he resents his name is because no one can read it properly the first time. He told me that people always read it as "Sento-kun"...and, well, that was how I read it the first time, too. So perhaps the alternate reading for Battler's name would do...but I don't think you'd appreciate the "kun" honorific. No, I think we would be fine if you went by "Sento". Ushiromiya Sento. We should be able to tell the difference between Battler and Sento."

The man crossed and uncrossed his legs. "Ushiromiya Sento," he mused. "Not what I had in mind, but I'll take it."

And as of that moment, the nameless man became_ Ushiromiya Sento._

"Okay, the first task is out of the way," said Lambdadelta, sticking up two fingers and ticking one off for the completed task, "Now we just have to deal with the second part. Games are no fun unless they have some sort of wager placed on the table."

"What kind of wager do you have in mind?" asked Jessica.

"Candy would be nice, but no, this game is too big for just candy," said Lambdadelta. "And witches don't really need money."

"Would I be allowed to be given some time to think and then come back?" said Jessica.

"Better yet," said Sento, "how about you wait in your world for a bit, and Lady Lambdadelta and I will summon you when we have found a good bargain?"

"Sounds fair to me," shrugged Jessica.

"Then you'll be dismissed," said Lambdadelta with a wave of her hand. "But to up the stakes and make things a little more interesting, the small rainstorm on Rokkenjima right now will grow and last for as many months as it takes for you to win my game, trapping everyone on the island."

"Then the rain will last as long as it takes," said Jessica coolly. "Goodbye, Lady Lambdadelta."

She joined hands with Beato, who gave Lambdadelta glare that said "You had better not do anything to harm her".

The two women disappeared in a burst of gold, leaving Lambdadelta and Sento. Lambdadelta giggled, "Ooooh, this is going to be _sooooo_ much fun when we have something to torture her with!"

"I look forward to the opportunity when it is presented," said Sento, adding with a grin, "Lambdadelta-sama."

* * *

Beato rubbed her eyes and yawned, slowly stretching her legs out and sitting up in Jessica's bed, where upon Jessica stood right where she had been when she was awake, as though she had been standing there the entire time.

"So, uh...could you see what was going on?" said Jessica.

"Actually, no," said Beato. "Right now, it felt like I was taking a good nap. Onee-sama will probably tell me all about it a bit later."

Jessica fell down on the bed and sighed, "This whole deal with your other self is confusing the heck out of me!"

"You get used to the confusion after a while," said Beato with a shrug.

Jessica bit her lip. "Beato," she said, "thank you for helping me when I needed it. I mean, I might've been able to do fine without you _that_ time, but I guess it's better to be safe than sorry, right?"

"Exactly," said Beato. "You made the right decision in coming to me."

"Good," said Jessica, feeling a bit weary from her trip, "I just felt like there was no one else I could trust or talk to about this. No one else can know about this, though."

"Understandable," said Beato, standing up off the bed. "Well, I think I'll be going now. Battler must be out of his meeting by now."

"I think I'll stay here," sighed Jessica, leaning down onto the bed, "I need some time to take this all in."

With a wave of farewell, Beato walked across the room to the door, which she noticed was slightly ajar. She hoped, with a sudden alarm, that no one had overheard her and Jessica talking about...that...earlier.

Everyone was in the meeting all day, she told herself. No one would've had time to walk right by here.

She opened the door and began to turn to the left—when she noticed Battler was standing there. With a sudden jump he said, "Beato! Geez, you scared me."

"Oh, well, I didn't see you," muttered Beato, looking down at the ground and blushing. She couldn't bring herself to look her husband in the eye with the knowledge that she might be carrying her husband's child. Did he suspect? Did he _know?_

"Hey, you look cute when you're like that, ihihi," said Battler light-heartedly, stroking some hair off Beato's cheeks. "Is something up?" Then, with a tone of concern, "You weren't sick earlier, were you? Maria and Ange were telling me they saw you running to the bathroom after I left."

Beato decided to lie, lest she raise her husband's suspicions: "I...had to go to the bathroom. I was holding it in ever since we got on the airplane."

Battler seemed to buy this excuse; his face lightened up and he said, "Hey, that's okay; just remember to go before we leave next time." He kissed her on the cheek and said, "I swear, if my favourite female character from my favourite novel saw you right now she'd take you home with her, ihihi!"

Beato smiled. "Muu, Battler-san," she said, "do you think you could help me with my bun? It's kind of...messy."

"Eh, I don't know much about that kind of stuff, but I could try," said Battler. He and Beato began to walk down the hall together and they began to talk about the meeting, taking away Beato's concern over Battler finding out, if only for a little while.

* * *

Battler hummed happily to himself as he washed his hands in the bathroom sink. As he and Beato came out of the mansion, he had nearly been bulldozed over by Ange, who had insisted on the three of them playing a board game Maria had found while searching through the closet out of boredom. It was a Western board game called "Cluedo" and it sounded quite fun. However, before they could get the game started, Battler felt a desperate urge to go to the bathroom; much like Beato, he had been holding it in throughout the family meeting as he was afraid of the chaos that could entail where he to excuse himself.

As Battler rinsed off the soap, he couldn't help but wonder about Jessica and Beato's talk. He had heard only the end tail of it on his way to Jessica's room. All he could hear was something about Beato giving help when she needed it, feeling there was no one else she could trust, and needing time to 'take it all in'.

He shrugged it off to girl stuff; maybe Jessica had her period or something.

Battler turned off the faucet and went over to dry off his hands with the towel. As he did, his foot accidentally brushed against the wastebasket, which had been lightly tipped at the bottom of the sink, and caused it to topple over and spill its contents all over the floor.

He bent down to pick up the trash and put it back in the bin. As he did, something caught his eye. He gently pushed aside the balled-up scraps of paper to get a closer look.

It was a small strip…a small 'stick' of sorts…and one end was bright red...and there were three of them.

An alarm went off in his head as to what this was…then he was struck with a sudden thought about the owner's identity…

* * *

"Uu! It was Professor Plum in the kitchen with the knife, uu!" declared Maria triumphantly, she and Battler and Beato and Ange now in the last round of Cluedo.

"And that is..." Beato picked up the small envelope containing the solution, opened it up, and took out the three cards that would reveal all. "Correct!" she announced. _"Perfecto!"_

"Uu!" said Maria proudly.

"That was a fun game!" exclaimed Ange. "Can we play again?"

"Maybe after supper," said Battler. "Right now, there is something I need to talk to Beato about in private."

Beato and Battler got off the bed and walked out into the hall. As they did, Beato felt slightly jittery. She had a bad, bad feeling as to why Battler wanted to talk to her, but she kept telling herself it was probably about something else totally unrelated to the potential baby.

Battler closed the door behind them and took her a few steps further out into the hall. He looked over his shoulder to make sure no one was coming and he said, "Beato...I know."

_Play dumb,_ Beato self-commanded. She said, "Muu, you know about what, Battler-san?"

Battler then dropped the bomb:

"I know about the baby."

For a minute, Beato thought she had stopped breathing. She began to panic inward: _He knows, oh what am I going to do now? I was hoping to keep this a secret for as long as possible._

"How did you know?" said Beato softly, trying to keep herself from having a total breakdown on the spot.

"I saw the tests in the bathroom," said Battler calmly. "It didn't take me long for me to realize what they were...and who they belonged to."

Beato could feel a wave of nausea coming, but she doubted morning sickness had anything to do with it in this case. She decided that since she could no longer deny it she may as well come clean. She began to say, "Battler-san, I'm sorry. I know I should've told you, but—"

"Think nothing of it," said Battler with a wave of his hand. "There's no need for you to apologize."

"There...isn't?" said Beato suspiciously. Battler was taking this a lot better than she thought. Perhaps he really was mature enough to handle this.

"After all," spoke Battler, "Jessica has every reason to hide it from us."

Wait..._what?_

"I understand why Jessica would be scared," Battler went on, "She's only eighteen and will be starting college when April rolls around, and she'll be sticking out quite a bit by then. To say nothing of the fact that having a baby at her age will ruin her future. Sure, she'll have the servants to help her, but that's assuming Uncle Krauss and Aunt Natsuhi don't kick her off the island and send her off to some convent in the states. Even if they do keep her around, and even with the servants' help, she'll still have to put off school for a while. And even when she returns and gets her degree, she'll have one hell of a time finding a decent job with decent pay. And that's not even getting into what an illegitimate heir would do to the family name."

Beato was not quite sure how to respond to this. Part of her was tempted to laugh at Battler for further proof of his incompetence, and the other part was tempted to cry for the very same reason. Instead, she only said, "Yes, uh, Jessica was very, very unhappy. She seemed to calm down after I talked with her."

"That's good to know," said Battler. He clenched his fists. "Seeing how Kanon is the only male on the island whom she's interested in..._bastard. _I truly feel pity for poor Jessica. All I can say is, glad I'm not in _her_ shoes."

At that point, Beato didn't even have the heart to tell him that, in a way, he was.

"Beato," said Battler, "do you think we should tell her that I know?"

"_No,"_ said Beato a little too quickly. "I think we should let her come out with the news on her own. And don't tell _anyone_ else."

Battler relaxed a bit. "So for now," he said, "I should just stay quiet and act like I know nothing. In the mean time, let's go back and help Maria and Ange clean up."

As they walked off back to the cousins' room, Beato couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Jessica had promised not to tell anyone of Beato's suspected pregnancy, yet she was allowing Battler to think Jessica was pregnant. She reasoned with herself, "I'm not going to mislead him _forever;_ just...just until I'm ready. Whenever that will be."


	8. Chapter 8

8

Two days came and went without much incident, save perhaps the early warnings of a great storm coming up ahead, as all part of the witch's plan to trap everyone on the island. It wasn't long before the waters became choppy, and the adults realized with great dismay that their exit would be delayed for some time. They all thought it was due to some sort of freak weather occurrence, such as a possible typhoon.

Only Jessica and Beato knew the real reason behind it. And they knew that, in spite of all the time Jessica had in the world, it wouldn't be enough.

* * *

It was on the third day that the weather outside began to match the condition of the ocean. The sky was gray as ash and clouds were rolling in, a soft thunder sounding in the background. It would be soft now, but it would surely grow as time went on. Oddly enough, these weather conditions matched Beato's uneasiness as she walked into Kinzo's study with Jessica by her side, having been called in by Dr. Nanjo.

Beato and Jessica each took a seat, Dr. Nanjo facing opposite them. "I dissected the mouse earlier this morning," spoke Dr. Nanjo. "It was only a week or so old...and yet..."

Beato could not stand the silence even if it was only for two seconds: "And yet...?"

"And yet," said Dr. Nanjo, "there was ovulation present."

"Meaning...?" urged Beato.

But she knew. She had known deep down there had been no mistake in the tests from three days ago, or the slightly more professional one she was taking now. She had anticipated Dr. Nanjo's words long before he spoke:

"You are indeed expecting, Beato."

The only sound was that of the thunder off in a distance outside. Jessica spoke: "If the weather doesn't clear up soon, then...would it be possible for you to be her doctor throughout her pregnancy?"

_Pregnancy..._

"It might be," said Dr. Nanjo slowly. "She'd be better off seeing an obstetrician, but if this storm goes on for a while, then I'll be willing to provide whatever care I can. Right now, I will make a list of what she can or can't do, what she can and can't eat..."

Beato was not paying attention to the rest of Dr. Nanjo's words. She was no longer able to fight the panic that had been building up in her ever since she realized she was 'late'. She, of all people, couldn't be a _mother;_ all she knew about babies was how to make one. It wasn't that she disliked them so much as it was that she had never been around one. She didn't know how to change a diaper, or make formula, or soothe something that would never stop making noise...or how to hold one...or how to live with lost sleep...

And Battler...she knew he wouldn't leave her (given the circumstances, it wasn't like he had much of a choice). But would _he_ know any better? Would he be able to help teach her how to do this? Or would he be just as unknowledgeable and inexperienced about this as she? He wasn't there when Ange was a baby, after all. How would he know what to do if she didn't?

Furthermore...would she even _love_ the baby? Already, she felt fear of it. She didn't realize it was even possible to be scared of something not much bigger than her own fingernail, until now. Weren't mothers supposed to feel joy upon discovering they'd be having a child? If she didn't feel happy or excited about this...

She felt a hand softly place itself on her shoulder. She heard Jessica say, "Beato...I think we should go now. Dr. Nanjo just gave me this list; I'll show it to you later."

Beato stood up and, like a wooden doll, slowly walked away.

* * *

Beato and Jessica were sitting together on the bed in the guest room, watching the rain patterns on the window, listening to the thunder's growing roars. The atmosphere was quite glum indeed.

"Beato," said Jessica, "If...if there is anything I can do for you...let me know, all right?"

Beato did not respond. She only got off the bed and ran straight for the bathroom, where upon she slammed the door behind her and ran to the toilet. She got on her knees and began retching, feeling overcome by a mixture of morning sickness and panic. She vaguely remembered Dr. Nanjo saying _something_ about how this sickness usually did not last beyond the first trimester.

But this fear...would this fear last throughout the entire nine months she had ahead of her? Well, technically, she so far only had eight months ahead of her...but it wasn't long enough to prepare her for this.

When Beato had finished vomiting, she crawled to the bathtub and climbed in. She curled her knees up to her chest and began sobbing. She was fully clothed, yet felt naked. There was no water drawn, yet she felt as if she were drowning.

The timing was all wrong...how could she do this? That's right...she couldn't.

* * *

"_Are you really going to think like that forever?"_

_Beato turned at the sound of her counterpart's voice. Her other self was standing just above her with a calm expression. How could she be so calm in a situation like this?_

"_O—onee-sama," sniffed Beato, "I...I don't know how I'm going to do this..."_

"_Beatrice wouldn't be scared of something like this," said the other Beato, helping herself up on her feet, "She would look this challenge straight in the eye and laugh it right in the face."_

"_Yes, but...Beatrice and I...are two different people," said Beato, shuffling her feet._

"_So use the same mentality as her," said the other Beato. "Look at it like this: Let's say you're in a room that is locked from the outside with no windows or trap doors. How do you get out?"_

"_Hmm," said Beato thoughtfully, "well...I would call for help in case someone was on the other side."_

"_And if there is no one there?" said the other Beato, hoping to see if she would get it._

"_I would search for a way to get myself out," said Beato a little more confidently._

"_So you wouldn't just sit there in fear?" said the other Beato. "You would at least try to save yourself?"_

"_Yes...I suppose," said Beato slowly._

"_Then that is what you should do," said the other Beato firmly. "You can feel scared, but you can't let it stop you from thinking rationally. At least try to help yourself. Learn how to care for a baby. Tell Battler about it."_

"_I—I can't!" said Beato quickly._

"_Why not?" said the other Beato. "You've been putting it off until you knew for sure, and now you do know. Besides, would it really be fair to let him think Jessica's pregnant after all she's doing for you?"_

"_I...I guess you have a point," sighed Beato. "Maybe I'll tell him either today or tomorrow."_

"_Good for you," said the other Beato. "Just do it before he does something stupid or somehow embarrasses Jessica."_

* * *

Beato opened her eyes at the sound of the door opening. Had Jessica come back? Was she here to offer a piece of advice?

"Beato?"

Beato looked up to see Maria walking up to the tub, a look of worry in those innocent blue eyes of hers. "Uu, Beato," she said, "were you crying?"

"A little bit, yes," admitted Beato, feeling a bit embarrassed over having Maria hear her cry.

"Uu, why?" said Maria. "What's making you sad?"

Beato hesitated before saying, "Maria...can you keep a secret?"

"You have a secret?" said Maria, her interest now fully perked.

"Yes," said Beato. "But it is one you absolutely _cannot_ tell anyone else until I say it is okay. Understand?"

Maria nodded solemnly. "Uu, promise. Is it about Battler?"

"Sort of," said Beato slowly. "It's related _to_ Battler. You see..."

She paused. Maria pledged absolute loyalty in her eyes, silently vowing to keep this a secret no matter what.

Beato decided to get it over with. She said in a soft, low voice on the chance someone was outside listening, "I'm going to have a baby."

"Uu! Really?" said Maria, a smile on her face, her eyes wide. "Congratulations, Beato!"

Beato knew Maria wouldn't be one to judge. She was too young to realize the impact it might have on her relationship with Battler, or her life. She smiled and said, "Thank you, Maria."

"But why does that make you cry?" said Maria, looking a bit confused. "Don't babies make people happy?"

"It's a complicated, grown-up issue," said Beato slowly, hoping to find the right way to phrase it so Maria would understand. "Babies don't always make people happy, and they don't necessarily make everything better."

"Uu, Maria understands a little bit," said Maria sadly, "Maria overheard Mama saying once that she thought having me would make everything better with my daddy...but it didn't."

"Your mother said this where you could hear?" said Beato suspiciously. She never did like Rosa much based on Maria's reports of the latest 'incident' with her, and couldn't help but feel sad when Maria would quickly try to justify it through either the 'black witch', or some other factor.

She felt sad now as Maria quickly perked up and said, "Maria heard Mama say it on the phone to somebody, but Mama thought Maria was in bed. Maybe she didn't really mean for Maria to hear those words. And the next day, she woke Maria up to help with making okonomiyaki for breakfast, uu!"

Beato supposed Maria might actually be right—if Rosa had just been talking on the phone at a time Maria was supposed to be in bed, perhaps she really had made the mistake of assuming her daughter was fast asleep and was using that time to blow off steam to a friend or relative on the phone. She just hoped she'd be a bit more careful with her own child.

Maria leaned over the edge of the tub and gave Beato a hug. "Don't cry, Beato," she said, "Maria thinks the baby will make you and Battler both very happy!"

Beato hoped Maria would be right.

* * *

"Good day, Battler-sama," said Kanon politely as Battler walked by him in the hallway.

Battler stopped, turned, and gave Kanon a frosty glare before marching off. This did not surprise him in the slightest; for some bizarre reason, ever since the day after his arrival a few days ago, Battler had been giving Kanon nasty glares whenever the two passed by, or when Kanon attempted to make small talk.

Kanon could not understand the reason behind it. What had he done to make Battler so angry? The two young men had been polite and respectful to one another before; what happened? Had he accidentally said or done something insulting?

Kanon was about to shrug it off to Battler's mood being affected by the nasty weather—when Battler did something unexpected. He promptly stopped walking, turned sharply on his heel, and marched up to Kanon.

"On second thought," said Battler, "this has gone ignored long enough."

With Battler now standing just a foot away from him, Kanon said, "Battler-san, I apologize for anything I may have done to anger you."

"Oh, it's not what you did to _me,"_ said Battler angrily, looking as though he longed to take the teapot on the tray Kanon was pushing and pore it down the front of his pants. "It's what you did to _Jessica."_

_Wait—does he disapprove of Jessica and me acknowledging our feelings for one another?_ thought Kanon with a start. _Did he overhear our small talks together? Does he hold some sort of hatred against me for daring to act out on my feelings for her despite being furniture? Well...I am trying to be human for Jessica's sake. If he isn't pleased with that..._

"Oh, going to play dumb, I see?" said Battler, folding his arms across his chest. "Going to act like _you _didn't do anything wrong and it was all _Jessica's _fault, huh? Well guess what—that just makes you _less_ of a man."

"I see nothing wrong with what I am doing," said Kanon calmly. "After the events in that other world, I am working to create an identity for myself. I will not let anything stand in my way of that."

"Of course," spat Battler, throwing his hands up in the air.

Still standing his ground, Kanon said in the same, calm voice, "I am not doing anything wrong. I am doing what I can to live a less burden-filled life."

Battler gritted his teeth and seethed, "So you plan to just _abandon_ her, is that it?"

Surprised that Battler would ever think Kanon would abandon Shannon, the one person who had been the closest thing to a family he ever had, he quickly said, "Oh no, I would _never_ abandon her over _anything._ We are too close for that."

"And yet you want to live happy and burden-free," snapped Battler. "You've got to chose one or the other—either accept that you'll be saddled with the burden for the rest of your life, or leave her behind and never be able to look at yourself in the mirror ever again."

Kanon blinked, not quite sure what Battler was trying to say. Then, he said, "Battler-san...I think you need to get a drink of water; your face is flushed."

At that moment, Jessica came walking around the corner. She smiled and said, "Oh hey, Battler; hi, K—"

She was cut off by Kanon suddenly grabbing her by the shoulders and kissing her full on the mouth, glaring at Battler out of the corner of his eye before closing it. Battler stood there, stunned, yet glad to see he had broken through to Kanon's head. Beaming, he walked off to leave the happy couple behind.

At this moment, Kanon separated himself from Jessica, who gasped, "Yoshiya! I...where did _that_ come from?"

"Battler-sama was behaving oddly," said Kanon. He smiled slightly. "I decided to put him in his place."

"Judging by the way he's walking," remarked Jessica, "I think he got the message loud and clear." She turned back to Kanon, grinned, and leaned in for a series of several more kisses.

* * *

"George-aniki! Maria!" gasped Battler as he burst straight through the doors to the guest house, wet from the rain outside (which was now just a light shower), yet feeling it was worth it just so he could make his announcement.

"What is it, Battler?" said George as he and Maria, who had been playing a game of cards, came running up to him.

"I have some terrible news," said Battler shakily. "I have tried to keep quiet about it for as long as I could, but I can no longer hide it. Just promise you two won't tell anyone else, okay?"

"Uu, what is it, Battler?" asked a curious Maria.

With a solemn expression, Battler said, "Jessica is pregnant with Kanon's child."

George let out a gasp. Maria, knowing better, grinned and let out her usual "Kihihihihi..."

"Maria, this is _serious,"_ stressed Battler, "Jessica is in _trouble."_

"But if you don't want us to tell anyone else, what do you think we should do about it?" said a worried-looking George.

Battler opened and closed his mouth before realizing he had nothing to say and said, "I don't know."

"Lunch is in thirty minutes," said George, looking at his watch, "After lunch, we will talk to Kanon and Jessica in private and help them out with their situation. We will help them deal with breaking the news to her parents, and possibly the family. And we will help them out however we can."

Maria said nothing. She had realized the misunderstanding right away, but she would uphold her loyalty to Beato for now.

Besides, it was always funny to see how long a misunderstanding could go on for before someone finally smartened up. And even if they didn't, then sooner or later someone who _did_ understand would clear things up.


	9. Chapter 9

9

"Uu, pass the salt, please!"

"Maria, I told you not to say that."

"Now Rosa, kids will be kids."

At lunch, everyone sat together in the dining room, all having a lunch that both looked and smelled delicious. Beato, however, was the only one who found the smell overwhelming. Yet she was able to keep her breakfast down, even as she sat next to Battler, who was completely oblivious to his impending fatherhood.

_Maybe I should tell him,_ reasoned Beato. _Not now, but after lunch. Yes, as soon as we're done eating, I will take him aside and tell him._

"Beato? Genji's offering you some wine. Do you want some?"

Beato snapped out of her inner thoughts. Genji stood just above her with a bottle of wine in hand. "It is a gift given to us by the local fishermen," said Genji. "It was only just now that Gohda found it—it had been sitting in the cabinet for a few weeks, but wine gets riper with age. Would you care to have a drink?"

Beato's mind flashed to the list of what pregnant women were not supposed to have. She remembered seeing alcohol on the list...

_If I refuse the wine right now,_ she thought, _will that cause suspicion? Will anyone figure it out?...No, I see George having a glass of water. Maybe no one will think anything of it if I say no._

"No thank you," said Beato. "I would just like a glass of water, please."

Battler was quick to explain: "She hasn't been feeling well lately. Water might be gentler on her stomach."

As Genji put down the wine bottle to pour Beato a glass of water from the pitcher, Beato couldn't help but wonder why Battler hadn't even suspected the truth. Did he still think it was Jessica? Earlier, when she was waking up from a nap in her room, she thought she heard him tell George and Maria his suspicions. She decided then that she would no longer delay it: As soon as lunch was over, she would take Battler aside and tell him.

"Battler," said Beato, "as soon as lunch is over, can we talk? Alone?"

"Maybe later," said Battler. "There is something I will need to take care of after lunch. After I take care of it, then we'll talk. Okay?"

Beato nodded as Genji offered Battler the wine. She hoped he wasn't going to confront Jessica with his wrongful conclusion. She wondered if Jessica would still be able to cover for her then.

"Eh, sure, why not," shrugged Rudolf as Battler gave him a hopeful glance. "He's only a year away from the legal drinking age."

An alarm went off in Beato's head as Genji poured Battler a glass of wine. Jessica was sitting right next to Battler. If she accepted the wine, would Battler figure it out? Or would it just lead him further down his misleading path?

Genji turned to Jessica. "Would you care for some wine, milady?"

George spoke up: "Jessica isn't of the legal drinking age yet. Maybe another time." He shared a glance with Battler, silently telling him to stay quiet, or at the very least, subtle.

"Actually," spoke up Krauss, "I would regard this to be a special enough occasion that it would be all right to let her have a little bit. If she wants, of course."

"You don't want it, Jessica, trust me," said Battler quickly. "You'll _really_ come to regret it if you do."

"Now, I'm not going to let Genji give her a full glass," said Krauss quickly. "I am thinking, perhaps, an inch or two."

"Well, maybe Jessica doesn't _want_ any wine," said Battler, hoping to do whatever he could to keep Jessica from ever touching a sip of alcohol without giving her away. "Right, Jessica? You just want plain old water, right?"

"Actually," said Jessica, "I don't think it would hurt to have a just a _little_ bit. It's not like I'll be chugging down the bottle or anything."

"You don't even know if a little bit is _safe!"_ burst out Battler. _"Any_ amount of alcohol is dangerous!"

"Battler, why are you panicking over Jessica having wine?" said Kyrie. "Your father and I just let you have a glass even though you're not quite old enough just yet. And Genji's not giving her or you enough to make either of you completely intoxicated."

"Yes," said Natsuhi with a nod, "As long as it is only a few drops and nothing more, than it is fine by me."

George spoke, but not the words Battler was hoping to hear come out of his mouth: "A very small amount should be fine. I still wouldn't recommend it, but—"

Convinced that George and Jessica both were out of their minds and he had to do something, Battler interrupted: "Jessica, I'm sorry, but I have to do this: She can't have any alcohol because it will harm the baby."

A deadly silence followed. Beato sat still and kept on a poker face, hoping Battler would be smart enough to keep his mouth shut for the rest of the meal.

"W—what?" stammered Jessica, her face turning red. _"What_ did you just say?"

"Jessica, I know," said Battler calmly. "I know you're pregnant with Kanon's child."

There were gasps around the table, particularly from Krauss and Natsuhi. Kanon, who was standing in a nearby corner, stepped forward and said, "Milady and I haven't—"

Krauss held up a hand and said coldly, "Take another step towards my daughter and I will see to it you are fired and _never_ find a job anywhere else."

Jessica fought past her humiliation long enough to speak: "Dad, you can't speak to—"

"Don't you _dare_ try to tell me how I can or can't speak to the servant staff, _young lady,"_ said Krauss angrily. "You have _lost_ that right. You lost that right the moment you chose to sleep with him and _ruin_ the family name."

"But—" Jessica began, only to be cut off by a furious Natsuhi: "Do you have _any idea_ what this will do to the Ushiromiya name? Did you ever take into _consideration_ that this could ruin us? How could you be so _irresponsible,_ so _shameful,_ such—such a _disgrace_ to the one-winged eagle!"

"But—"

"Just brilliant," scoffed Krauss, "That's all we need: A little bastard child running around the house! One between Jessica and that _furniture_ no less."

Infuriated, Kanon ran right over to Jessica's side, ignoring Krauss' insistence to stop. "I am not furniture," he said loudly and clearly, silencing the infuriated couple. "And I am not 'Kanon'. From now on, I will be 'Yoshiya'. And I will stand by milady's side even in the face of such blatantly false accusations. I can assure you both right now that milady and I never slept together, nor do we plan on doing so for a long, long time."

Kanon slipped his hand into Jessica's and squeezed it. They shared a smile before Battler cleared his throat and said, "Well...I found three positive pregnancy tests in the guest bathroom. If they're not Jessica's, then whose are they?"

"If I may make a suggestion," said Eva with a callous smirk, "perhaps they belong to Shannon."

"_What?"_ gasped Shannon, now taking her turn for her cheeks to flush.

"I've always had my suspicions about George's reasons for wanting to marry _her,"_ said Eva, sounding as though she were talking about a cockroach upon the word 'her', "I wondered if George lost his senses with _that girl_ in the heat of the moment, and is only marrying her because there will be a baby on the way."

"That is not true!" cried out George. "Sayo and I haven't even—"

"Now Eva," said Hideyoshi gently, "I'm sure George's reasons for marrying this girl have nothing to do with an unexpected child. And even if he is, his intentions are pure either way: He is either sparing the girl the burden of raising a child alone, or he is acting out on his love for her."

"Exactly," said George, nodding furiously. "And it's the latter. Sayo and I are thinking of having children in the _future,_ but not right _now._"

"So you're not denying you two are at least sleeping together?" said Eva with raised eyebrows.

"Even if we _were,_ which we are _not,"_ said George, trying very hard to control his anger, "We're in love."

"All this talk of love," scoffed Eva. "I am trying to make you happy and respect your wishes, yet you never show me these wishes of yours are worth respecting."

"Sayo is a beautiful, graceful young lady," said George, smiling over at the blushing Shannon, "And that in itself is worthy of respect."

"So," spoke up Kyrie, who had been quiet up until now, "either George is lying, or Kanon is lying..._or_ those tests belong to someone else. The only other couple who has had sex recently that we know of is..."

Beato realized only then the entire table was staring at her and Battler, and she felt sick…if the pregnant one wasn't Jessica, and it wasn't Shannon, then everyone would figure out sooner or later just who it was from the damning tests Battler had found.

"No," spoke Battler, shaking his head and smiling nervously. "It...it isn't us. It _couldn't_ be us. Beato is just sick, that's all. She's not...well, she just _isn't!_ Tell them, Beato. Tell them this is all just a big misunderstanding and those tests probably belong to someone else."

Beato couldn't look at Battler. She knew she could no longer hide it from everyone; she chose now to say in a loud, clear voice: "Kyrie is right. Those tests belong to me."

There were some gasps around the table. Beato turned to a stunned Battler who could only mouth, "You…you're…"

"I'm pregnant, Battler," said Beato softly. "Remember our honeymoon? How we weren't thinking when...?"

Battler could say nothing. He tried to force himself to say _something..._but his brain refused to work, or at least, connect with his mouth. He could feel himself shutting down...his mind refused to comprehend what he had just been told...the damning news that would change his future...

Frightened by the lack of response from Battler or anyone else sitting around the table, Beato stood up and ran out of the dining room, nearly slamming the doors shut behind her.

Battler began to follow her, but was stopped by a cold, hard voice saying, _"Sit down."_

It was Rudolf, who gave his son a glare equally matching his cold, hard tone. Kyrie sat there in silence with no expression. It was like she had _wanted_ her "flip-the-chessboard" thinking to fail her for once, only to be dismayed to see she was right.

Battler sat back down and ate the rest of his lunch in an uncomfortable silence, dreading what lay ahead as soon as the meal was over and he had to face the consequences.


	10. Chapter 10

10

"I_ thought _you said you used a condom," said Rudolf angrily. Lunch had just ended, and as soon as everyone else left, Rudolf and Kyrie both asked to speak to Battler in the parlour about his 'situation'. Battler sat down on one of the couches while both his parents stood above him, suddenly feeling very, very small.

"I…I forgot to put it on," admitted Battler, his eyes glued to the floor. He was still processing the news Beato had given him: She was pregnant. And he was going to be a father. "I'm sorry."

_"No _amount of apology can _ever_ make up for your mistake," said Kyrie sternly in a voice she wouldn't even use on Rudolf if she caught him flirting with another woman. "You can say you're sorry, but it won't change your impending fatherhood."

_Fatherhood_…the mere word was enough to make Battler's stomach turn. He could barely look at Rudolf, who sighed and shook his head, his voice getting progressively angrier as he spoke: "You have no idea how disappointed I am. I thought I taught you better than this. I had hoped I could at least _prevent s_omething like this from _happening,_ yet you threw my attempts to help you _completely _out the window! I at least trusted you to be responsible with _this,_ if nothing else."

"Well, I wasn't exactly planned, either," said Battler before he could stop himself. The hypocrisy behind Rudolf's words had been burning in his mind; he knew neither he nor his brother had been planned or else Rudolf would've never married Asumu in the first place.

"No, but that was because of the odd chance of the condom tearing," said Rudolf, hoping to get the message to his son loud and clear. "I didn't just decide they only got in the way and did away with them all together." He sighed, "Well, you and Beato are married, so at least this child won't be illegitimate. But the two of you are nineteen. _That_ won't do wonders for the family name, either, especially not with the timing of it."

"Beato will be nineteen in a few weeks," muttered Battler, but Rudolf ignored this and said, "You'll have to find her so we can talk about it."

The thought of facing Beato now after the way she announced the news gave Battler a headache. He felt an assortment of emotions: Fear, anger, panic…most of all, he was overwhelmed by the entire situation. He had just married someone whom he was beginning to re-build a relationship with, and now they were going to have a baby. It was all too much.

"I…I'm not sure if I can face her," said Battler slowly.

"She probably felt the same way after finding out she was pregnant, which was probably why she didn't tell you at first," said Kyrie pointedly.

"This…this is too much," muttered Battler, slumping forward. "I need some time alone to think."

"I hope you use that time to think about how you're going to handle the consequences of your irresponsibility," said Rudolf coldly.

Rudolf and Kyrie left the room together. As they walked down the hall, Rudolf said, "Kyrie...you don't think we were too hard on him, do you?"

"Perhaps a little bit," said Kyrie. They stopped walking. She said, "I think it's a little too late to lecture him about birth control at this point. Perhaps _that_ much was unnecessary."

Rudolf nodded. "But still...our son...he's only nineteen, making it through his first year of college...you know, I honestly believed all this time that George would be the first to start a new generation when he marries that Shannon girl, that Eva and Hideyoshi would become grandparents first...yet it's _our_ son who is the first to marry...and reproduce..._we're _the ones to have a grandchild on the way..."

"One less gray hair for Eva," said Kyrie.

Rudolf smiled bitterly. "And two more for us."

* * *

Battler heard the footsteps belonging to his parents fade further away, and the brief, unintelligible chatter cease. He realized only now he had been holding his breath the whole time as though they would suddenly turn around, come back, and yell at him some more; he let out that breath, but it came out as a melancholic sigh.

Well, he couldn't say he didn't deserve it. This was too sudden; too soon...it wasn't supposed to be happening _now_. It wasn't long after his maternal grandparents had died that the time for university application rolled around. He had ultimately chosen to settle for a community college in a city near the neighbourhood where he lived with his parents and sister. However, he had also decided to stay home instead of moving in on campus. One of these reasons was so he could be closer to Ange and make up for the lost time between them.

Now he had a second reason to stay home...an impending child.

He knew there was no way Beato could have an abortion, seeing how she did not fit any of the criteria under the Eugenic Protection Law. It was not likely she'd be able to give it up for adoption, either; by the time the storm cleared up, she would've had enough time to bond with it and be unwilling to give it away.

He knew hoping for a miracle for the storm to magically clear up in just a few days was useless. This miracle had zero probability of occurring.

"It's useless," Battler muttered. He choked, "It's _all_ useless!"

He felt hot tears stream down his face. He couldn't help it; it was too overwhelming for him to take in all at once, and he sobbed quietly. _How can I be a father?_ he thought. _How can Beato or I be parents? Why was I so STUPID that night?_

"_But it's going to be different from now on. I'll make sure you feel more pleasure. There'll be no more pain, not if I can help it."_

"_You promise?"_

"_I promise."_

"Beato," moaned Battler. "She must be so scared...I know I am...no wonder she's been avoiding me...I'm the one who got her into this mess."

His head turned sharply at the sound of footsteps. Was that Beato? Had she decided to go looking for him? He gulped and tugged at his collar, thinking, _Oh damn, what am I going to say to her now? Sorry I knocked you up? Sorry I was too stupid to remember something as simple as a God damn condom?_

He relaxed when instead, Maria came in. She had a look of curiosity. "Uu, Battler," she said, "where's Beato?"

Battler shrugged. "Believe me, I wish I knew where she was," he muttered, turning away from his cousin's innocent eyes.

Maria walked over to him and said, "Uu, are you crying, Battler?"

Battler said nothing. He wiped away the wisps of tears that had fallen down his face, feeling slightly embarrassed at having Maria notice his crying.

"Uu, don't worry, Battler," said Maria. She patted Battler on the head and said, "Maria thinks you'll be a great daddy...maybe even better than Maria's own daddy," she added with a tone of sadness to her voice.

Battler remembered, _That's right, I forgot—Maria's father abandoned her mother when she was pregnant. And my own father was in a position where he could have chosen to walk away, claim I wasn't his, refuse to have anything to do with me, all to protect the family name...instead, he chose to stay. He was there for Kyrie all along, taking me in after what happened with his other child..._

_No. I am not going to let Beato down. No matter what, I will absolutely not let her down! I will find her and talk to her...then I'll find Kyrie and dad, and we'll...talk. Yeah. We'll just sit and...talk._

Battler smiled and stood up. "Thank you, Maria," he said. "You just reminded me of something very important I need to do."

* * *

Elsewhere, Jessica was in her room, pounding her fists down upon a pillow she imagined as Battler's head. Even after the misunderstanding was cleared up, she still felt a burning incense of embarrassment and anger. She had been tempted to break her promise to Beato and come clean, but she knew that if she were in Beato's shoes, she would not appreciate being betrayed in such a manner. Not like she would've even been given a _chance_ to speak on her behalf, anyway.

"Battler you _idiot,"_ grunted Jessica, belting out a left hook at the pillow, "You _moron!"_

She stopped punching the pillow when she heard the door open. She relaxed and waited for the footsteps to stop. She could tell who it was, and she wasn't sure if she really wanted to talk to them.

"Jessica," spoke Natsuhi, "your father and I would like to speak to you."

Jessica sighed and flipped herself around to face her parents, who looked almost ashamed.

"Jessica," said Natsuhi, with her head slightly bowed, "your father and I are both very, _very_ sorry for allowing Battler's words to misguide us. We should've questioned what he said before reaching conclusions."

"So you found it believable that I would sleep with Yoshiya?" said Jessica stiffly.

Krauss cleared his throat. "Well," he said, "the two of you _are_ getting closer; we've noticed you having small talks with him. And you're calling him by his real name."

Jessica stood up. "Is this about me and Yoshiya now?" she said softly. "What are you trying to say about us?"

Natsuhi and Krauss shared a glance before looking back over at Jessica. "Jessica...you don't have any serious plans to be with this boy, do you?" said Krauss.

"What are you saying?" said Jessica, knowing just what it was her parents were trying to tell her.

"We aren't saying anything," said Natsuhi. "We just want to know if any feelings you have for...him...are serious, or just an infatuation."

Jessica folded her arms across her chest. "What difference would it make?" she said coolly.

"Infatuation is perfectly natural in adolescence," said Krauss with a wave of his hand. "It comes and goes just like that. If you are merely infatuated with the boy, then we will let it go. In time, these feelings of yours will pass."

"And if I were in love with him?" said Jessica, hoping her parents weren't thinking of somehow transferring Kanon.

"Jessica, just answer the question," said Natsuhi calmly.

The fact that she was refusing to speak of what would happen to Kanon if Jessica revealed her feelings to be serious was what made Jessica realize that, in order to protect the one she loved, she had to tell a bold-face lie. She smiled and said, "It's...it's just a silly crush. I think he's cute, but that's it. I don't really _love_ him or anything."

She bit her lip, remembering those romantic comedies she had seen with her friends from school. Usually, if the girl was forbidden from seeing her boyfriend and she did not want to hurt him, she would dismiss it as some silly crush while her loved one was within earshot. She _really_ hoped Kanon wasn't standing outside the door as she spoke.

Krauss seemed to be satisfied with this. "Good," he said. "We are proud of you, Jessica. You are on your way into becoming a fine young lady suitable to the Ushiromiya lineage."

Jessica smiled and her parents left, closing the door behind them. Even though she knew Kanon probably _wasn't_ on the other side of that door, her paranoia got the better of her and she ran over to the door and burst it open. She frantically looked back and forth to see if there was any sign of Kanon in the halls.

She didn't see Kanon, but she _did_ see Battler running frantically, only to stop upon sight of her. "Oh, uh, hey, Jessica," he said awkwardly.

"Hello, _Battler,"_ said Jessica icily. She began to close the door when Battler quickly caught onto the doorknob and said, "Jessica, let me just say that I am so, so, _so_ sorry for what happened at lunch today. I should've kept my mouth shut and asked you about it _before_ lunch. I mean...you knew Beato was pregnant all along, didn't you? That's what that conversation with her was really about, right?"

"What conversation?" said Jessica impatiently.

"You know, uh," said Battler, fidgeting with his hands, "I heard you thanking Beato for giving help when you needed it, and you were trusting her with something. That was part of what led me to think it was you when I saw those tests."

Jessica's eye twitched—then she burst out laughing, "Oh, this is _just_ like a comedy isn't it, ha-ha! Yes, I knew it was Beato all along, but no, we weren't talking about _that."_

"Then what _were_ you talking about?" asked Battler.

Jessica suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Something else," she said slowly. "It's...complicated. I think you might be able to help me with it, but I'm not sure just yet. But I'll tell you later; right now, you need to find Beato and talk to her."

"Right," nodded Battler. Then, "Did anyone else know? Other than you?"

"Well, Beato told me before we went to lunch that she told Maria," said Jessica. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason," shrugged Battler, walking off. Inside, he thought bitterly, _So Beato felt she could trust Jessica and Maria, but not me? I'm her husband! What makes her think THOSE two are more important than I am?_

* * *

Beato sat outside on the beach, tracing patterns in the sand with her finger. The rain had stopped for now, but the skies were still gray with gloom. She, too, had long stopped crying since she had first run down to here, but she still felt...she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It was fear mixed with sadness. She just felt overwhelmed by it all.

"Now he knows," muttered Beato. "What am I going to do now?"

She closed her eyes and tried to allow herself to drift off...

No. She couldn't escape reality any longer. And she certainly knew she couldn't escape Battler any longer, either.

She was just beginning to wonder if she should get up and start looking for him when she heard footsteps. She instinctively knew it was Battler and did not get up, nor did she turn to look at his face.

Battler sat down next to her in the sand and they watched the waves roll in and out together, not daring to speak a word, lest it break this rare moment of peace between them. Then again, they figured any moment of peace they would have would be rarer now even more so than in their games together.

Disapproving relatives...the possible ruination of the family name if their age, not their marital status, were to be taken into consideration by society...the cries of an innocent baby who knew nothing of what its parents had gone through...

Would they ever have another moment of happiness for themselves ever again?

Finally, Battler spoke in a quiet voice: "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Before I embarrassed Jessica like that in front of everyone?"

Beato could not find the right words to respond to this. She continued to look out at the ocean, the clouds slowly beginning to roll in.

Battler had not meant for his voice to sound angry, but it did as he spoke: "When _were_ you planning to tell me, huh? Were you going to tell me when you began to _show?_ When you went into _labour?_ Answer me!"

He grabbed her by the shoulder, but he did not have to turn her to face him; the shock from such a touch caused Beato to whip around in his direction. Her eyes were wide and frightened.

Battler realized then he had been a bit rough. He relaxed his grip and pulled Beato in for a hug. She returned the hug and sobbed into his shoulder, "I'm sorry!"

Battler blinked and felt his own tears roll down his face. "I'm sorry, too," he whispered. "I promise I'll make it up to you."

And the two sat there on the beach in each other's arms, wordlessly reassuring the other that somehow everything would be all right, until the rain returned.


	11. Chapter 11

11

The rain had come down harder over the past fifteen minutes and pounded upon the windows of the guest house. In a way, the rain was almost fascinating. Beato much preferred to stare at the wet patterns on the window sill than to face her situation.

"Beato."

Beato turned at the sound of Battler, who was sitting just across from her on the bed. "I think those are my parents' footsteps," he said.

Beato played with the blankets using her feet. The first place she and Battler had gone to when the rain picked up was here, the room the cousins shared; on their way upstairs, Battler had given Genji (who was cleaning up around the guest house) the order of finding his parents and bringing them here so they'd be able to discuss the situation at hand.

And now, true to Battler's thoughts, Rudolf and Kyrie were coming in through the door together, being led by Genji who said with a bow, "Is there anything else you need of me, Master Battler?"

Battler shook his head. "No. You may go."

Genji closed the door behind Rudolf and Kyrie, leaving Battler with an odd pain in his stomach. There was no avoiding it now. They would have to discuss the fate of the baby.

Rudolf and Kyrie wordlessly sat down on one of the couches together. Battler and Beato got up and sat down on the couch facing opposite the pair. For several minutes, neither couple dared to speak. They sat in a cold silence, trying to figure out how to get the conversation started. But how could you start a conversation about a topic that had so many issues attached to it? There was so much that needed to be said, yet not enough time...

Battler decided to break the ice: "I guess abortion's out of the question, then, considering Beato doesn't fit any of the criteria, and we also might be stuck here for some time if the storm gets worse."

"What's abortion?" asked Beato. The tone she used was so innocent, so child-like, that none of the three really wanted to answer her question. To explain abortion in just one sentence, and to explain it in such a way that someone as sheltered as Beato would understand it, very nearly breached the impossible. Besides, she'd be unable to get one anyway, so what was the use?

Battler cleared his throat and said, "Well, um...Beato, how would you feel if we gave the baby up for adoption? You know, if we found a good family that would take care of the baby and provide it with everything we can't?"

Beato hadn't even thought about the idea; she said, "I don't know...ever since I found out, I'd gotten used to the idea of having the baby around. So..."

"So you plan on keeping it," finished Rudolf.

"Muu, maybe," said Beato, suddenly fearing she had said the wrong thing. Rudolf's tone did not sound approving at all.

Battler said, "Beato, if you're worried about us never having a child again, we could always just try later in a couple years when it's more convenient."

Beato shook her head. "It's not that," she muttered. "I just...it never occurred to me. And I'm not sure if I'm really okay with it; I thought we could only keep it, so...so maybe we _should._ I mean, we're married, so..."

Battler looked back and forth between his parents. Neither of them looked as though they approved of Beato's decision. He couldn't say he wanted to go along with it, either. But if it was what Beato wanted...

"Yeah," said Battler, forcing himself to nod. "Maybe we can somehow make this work."

"How?" said Rudolf icily. "By bringing the baby to your classes with you?"

"I'm okay with staying home with the baby," said Beato in a frail tone, sensing Rudolf's disapproval. "Battler-san can go to school and I'll stay home with it, since I don't really have a school to go to."

"Where do you plan to live?" said Rudolf, appearing to be determined to make this process as difficult for the young couple as possible. "Do you plan to find an apartment and struggle with the rent? A house and try to pay the bills? Or do you plan on staying home? Because if you do, let's get one thing clear—if you plan on living off me and Kyrie, forget about it. Even if you stay at home with us, we won't provide you with the financial means. You'll have to sort that out on your own."

Battler nodded. "I guess that's fair. I'll get a job, maybe on campus in the coffee shop, or in the bookstore across the street."

Rudolf scoffed, "Coffee shop. Bookstore. You really think a couple yen an hour will be enough to pay for six month's worth of diapers or formula?"

"Then...I'll get _two_ jobs," said Battler quickly, hoping to keep his father from changing his mind, "I'll get a job on campus _and_ a job downtown."

"Where will you find the time for that?" asked Kyrie, taking her turn to play the role of the Bad Cop. "When you're not busy at school, you should at least make time for the baby; you can't let the rest of your family do all the work."

"I'll...I'll drop one or two courses!" blurted out Battler. "I was thinking of dropping a course _anyway,_ so..."

Kyrie sighed, "I'm beginning to see where your father's attitude is coming from. You're taking a naive approach to this, Battler. You'll have a hard time finding a job with good enough pay to support your wife and child. And if you drop a course, you'll take longer to graduate."

"Then I'll take longer to graduate," said Battler, hoping he could at least secure Kyrie on his side, "I don't _have_ to be out in four years, right?"

Kyrie and Rudolf both sighed and exchanged a weary glance. Battler himself felt weary by all this talk, and his mind began to drift off to a happier time he and Beato had shared in the meta-world...

* * *

"_Ack! What did you do to all the cookies?" cried out Battler when he returned to the dining room in Kuwadorian to find the cookies Ronove had laid out for him and Beato earlier to be all gone._

"_Oh, were those your cookies, Battler~?" said Beato playfully, licking off the crumbs around her lips. "Since when did Ronove bake just for you, huh? Are you his boy~friend or something?"_

_Battler sulked and muttered, "If you get a stomach ache tonight, it serves you right."_

_Beato only sat there and cackled evilly._

* * *

"_What did I tell you?" said Battler later that night as he sat up with Virgilia next to Beato, who was lying in bed, clutching her stomach and moaning. "Serves you right for eating a tray of cookies laid out for two people, ihihi!"_

"_D—don't start with the lectures," groaned Beato, her face looking particularly green. She looked as though she just wanted to throw up and have the pain and nausea over with._

"_We've learned our lesson now, haven't we?" said Virgilia, gently holding some of Beato's hair off her face in case she did throw up._

_Beato nodded. Her eyes bulged and she leaned forward just above the wastebasket, then she drew back and moaned, almost in disappointment from the false alarm._

_Battler couldn't help but feel sorry for Beato in her state; stomach aches were no fun, and he, too, had made the same mistake as Beato when he was very young. This twinge of sympathy gave him cause to say, "It'll be over soon, Beato. It'll either come up, or you'll fall back asleep and the next morning you'll go back to taunting me over my refusal to believe in those darn pixies in your garden, ihihi!"_

_He could almost swear he saw Beato crack just a tiny smile before closing her eyes and laying her head down on Virgilia's lap, almost looking like a small child. In many ways, she almost was a child—a child in an adult's body._

_He remembered George's speculation on whether or not Beato and Kinzo ever had a child. Part of him wondered what Beato would be like if she were a mother. Would she grow up and become more responsible? Would she try to be the child's best friend instead of its mother? Would she just ignore it all together?_

_He also wondered what this hypothetical child would look like...would it have Beato's blonde hair and blue eyes, or would it more closely resemble its father, however he may appear?_

_Battler leaned towards Beato and lightly stroked her cheeks. Her eyelids fluttered open and she slowly began to sit back up just a little bit._

_It happened without warning._

_Before either had a chance to prepare for it, all the cookies that Beato had gobbled up in her greediness ended up all over Battler's jacket and his pants._

* * *

Battler was snapped out of his trance when Kyrie spoke: "If you plan on living with us, where will the baby sleep?"

"Well, I'm sharing the guest room with Beato anyway," said Battler, "so maybe we could turn my old room into the baby's room. We could sell the mattress, re-arrange some furniture, buy a crib and a change table..."

"Best idea that's ever come out of your mouth all day," muttered Rudolf.

Battler felt too worn out to even retort to that remark. He thought, _Everything was going so well for us before...how did we ever get to this? We went from teasing each other over sweets, to figuring out how we're going to raise a baby. If only things could go back to the way they were. If only things could be more light hearted, instead of being so heavy with such burden..._

There was a small knock on the door. "Onii-chan?" said the voice of Ange. "May I come in?"

Battler looked over at his parents, who showed an expression of indifference. He called out, "Sure, Ange."

Ange opened up the door and came in. She sat next to Battler on the couch and said, "Onii-chan...is there really going to be a baby?"

Battler stroked Beato's hand and said, "Yes, there is. In just a couple months, Beato and I will be having a baby."

"So...what does that make me?" asked Ange.

"It would make you an aunt," spoke up Kyrie. "The baby would be your niece or nephew."

Battler couldn't help but think, _Ange will be an aunt...at age six...this is so wrong...if not wrong, then just...odd..._

Ange appeared to be thinking the same thing, for she crinkled up her nose and said, "Being an aunt would feel weird. I'd rather have a little brother or sister."

"Then you can refer to it as such," said Battler. "In fact, Beato and I will have the baby call you "Ange onee-chan" instead of "Aunt Ange", if that makes you more comfortable."

Ange nodded. "I guess I'm all right with that," she said thoughtfully.

The family sat there in a solemn silence for nearly five minutes, trying to take all of it in, before each parent stood up and walked off. Ange stayed behind and curled up next to Battler, a bit sleepy from staying up past her bedtime the night before. Battler tried to give Beato a reassuring smile, but she could tell he was masking his fear over the situation. Nevertheless, she forced herself to smile back.

* * *

"What a nice mess my incompetent brother managed to get himself into," sighed Sento in the meta-world as he dangled a grape above his mouth.

"Oh, you should've seen him when he was playing with Beato," said Lambdadelta, reaching into her bowl of popcorn, "He was _sooo_ incompetent that Beato had to say so in _red!"_

Sento stifled a laugh to prevent himself from swallowing his grape down the wrong pipe. He gulped it down the right path and said, "Hopefully, my dear sister should be a bit more competent."

"Yeah, but that's the problem," said Lambdadelta after swallowing her popcorn, "She's a little _too_ competent. Toys that have a mind of their own eventually overthrow their owner."

Sento sat up on the couch. "Lambdadelta-sama," he spoke, "would she be less competent if she were under so much emotional stress she wouldn't be able to think straight, perhaps?"

"Maybe," shrugged Lambdadelta. "Why do you ask?"

Sento leaned over towards Lambdadelta and said, "I have the _perfect_ bargaining tool. It is one that should up the ante, _and_ shake Jessica to her core quite a bit."

"What is it?" asked Lambdadelta.

Sento whispered it in her ear. Lambdadelta giggled, "Ooooh, that's a _good_ one! But Jessica would _never_ agree to it, though; in Battler and Beato's other games, she showed herself to be a self-sacrificing person. What if she puts _herself_ in the bargain instead?"

"Then we'll just make it clear to her that she'll be needed for _all_ the arguments, regardless of whether or not she loses one of them," said Sento. "If she loses one, that's a strike against her family. If she loses more than one...well, then the person placed in the wager will just have to suffer for it, won't they?"

"Indeed," giggled Lambdadelta. She placed her bowl in Sento's lap. "Popcorn?"


	12. Chapter 12

12

Battler couldn't help but feel awkward around the adults, all gathered in Kinzo's study to try to fix the phone in hopes of contacting the mainland. It was only an hour before dinner call, and they were trying to use that time wisely...or at least, they _would_ be if most of them weren't thinking about the scandalous revelation at lunch.

It was easy for Battler to tell that was the one thing on all their minds—they were all staring at him. Even if they appeared to be looking elsewhere, he could feel their eyes on his back.

"Are you sure there's no way to fix it, Genji?" said Krauss as he and Genji bent down together, examining the cord.

"You may try," said Genji, "but I am certain it is the storm causing the lines to go down."

"May I help?" offered Battler.

Krauss nodded. As Battler bent down to examine it, Genji said, "I will check the lines elsewhere." He left the group of parents, and the parent-to-be.

Eva chose now to speak: "How nice of you to take responsibility, Battler. Considering your _lack_ of responsibility on your wedding night. But was it really _your_ fault, I wonder? Or was it that of your father refusing to provide you _with_ responsibility?" She threw a glance over at Rudolf, who turned away in shame. It was quite obvious she was taking advantage of the opportunity to flaunt her other brother's mistakes.

"He...he _did_ provide me with _something..."_ said Battler, his voice faltering, "And I just...forgot. But I'm going to make it up to her. We've already decided to have the baby and raise it together."

"Oh, how noble of you," said Eva in the tone that implied she thought it was anything _but._

"Indeed it is," spoke up Rosa suddenly.

Eva turned to her sharply and said, "What was that now?"

"I said," said Rosa, "that I think it is a good thing Battler is staying with Beato to help raise the baby with her instead of leaving her with the responsibility alone." She looked out the window and muttered, "Not all of us are lucky enough to have a man like that in our life. If only Maria's father hadn't abandoned us..."

Eva just rolled her eyes and waved her fan like she was the Queen of England.

"Whatever you do, _don't_ embarrass my daughter like that _ever_ again," said Krauss warningly.

"_You_ were stupid enough to fall for it," snapped Rudolf.

"And _he_ was stupid enough to think it up!" Krauss snapped back. "Not to mention _you_ didn't even _bother_ to stop him from committing such _slander!"_

Deciding to settle this argument before it got ugly, Battler quickly said, "Look, I'm really, _really_ sorry for jumping to conclusions. It just never occurred to me that Jessica might be the owner of those tests, that's all."

"Really now?" said Rudolf with a raised eyebrow. "Why did it never occur to you that it might have been Beato? Did you think the two of you were somehow _invisible?"_

Battler couldn't find an answer to this and looked away. He felt guilty in the knowledge that his father was taking just as much flak for this as he was, seeing how the siblings, who had always resented each other, finally had an opportunity to pounce on one of their own for their child's mistake.

"Well, Rudolf," said Krauss, standing up, "it looks like the phone really is down. We'll just have to wait to fix it another day."

Rudolf nodded in agreement, though unable to ignore the disapproving glares of the others. "Yes," he said, "I think we all must leave."

The adults began to leave, one by one. Just as Battler was about to follow, he heard Rosa call out, "Battler."

Battler turned to face Rosa, who looked over Battler's shoulder to make sure the others were out of earshot. When she was certain of this, she said quietly, "I am not happy about the mess you and your wife are in at all. I hope you at least realize that this baby might limit your goals for quite some time."

Battler nodded. "Believe me, I figured that out myself."

"That being said," said Rosa, "I am glad to hear you plan on staying with Beato and the baby. You are at least attempting to take responsibility."

_Responsibility..._there was so much responsibility ahead for Battler. He would have to juggle university, possibly two jobs _if_ he was lucky, a wife whom he loved dearly and thought he would never have the chance to be with again for a while, _and_ a baby. Thinking about all that made Battler feel somewhat dizzy, but mostly frightened.

Deciding not to let Rosa know this, Battler smiled and said, "Thank you, Aunt Rosa." Silently, he added, _Thank you for being the only person in the entire room not to judge me._

* * *

Jessica and Beato hadn't expected to be called back so soon, but now they found themselves standing before Lambdadelta and Sento in the meta-world. Their opponents both kept perfectly innocent faces, yet it was clear they were suppressing an evil grin.

"So," said Jessica, sitting down, "shall we get started?"

"Before we do," said Lambdadelta, "I just want to offer my congratulations to Beato."

Beato looked at Lambdadelta suspiciously. Did she know about the baby?

Lambdadelta confirmed this by saying: "Oh, we've been watching you, and we know all about your little bun in the oven." She giggled, "You and Battler must have had a _great_ honeymoon, ha-ha-ha!"

Beato's cheeks lightly flushed, but she only said, "Yes, we did, actually." She sat down next to Jessica, who wondered about the difference in confidence between this Beato, and her counterpart. This Beato seemed to have little concern over her condition, whereas the other Beato had to be scared out of her mind.

"Onto the first order of business," said Jessica, "You said you would call us back when you had a wager ready?"

"Yes," said Sento with a smile that gave Jessica sense of uneasiness, "and I—_we_," he gestured to Lambdadelta, "have a proposition for you. I think it is one you will find difficult to say no to. Well," he chuckled, "it is not one most people would say 'yes' to, but I am sure you would agree to it, were you familiar with the conditions if you refused."

Despite Sento's overall arrogance, there was something almost charismatic about him. He struck Jessica as the type of man who could easily trick even the toughest opponent into sharing their darkest secrets. He spoke in a cool-headed manner that Battler lacked. "What exactly is it you want?" said Jessica.

Sento looked over to Beato. "Beato, is it now?" he said. "Yes, Beato, if Jessica were to accept the deal I put on the table, would you be mad at her for it?"

"Not 'mad' so much as 'sympathetic', considering whatever hell you and Lady Lambdadelta might put her through," scoffed Beato.

"Now, why are you so convinced Lambdadelta-sama and I are out to put Jessica through some sort of torture?" said Sento smoothly. "Why is it that you are out to see the worse in us?"

"I made the mistake of entrusting myself to her once," said Beato, shifting her glare to Lambdadelta. "Never again will I be so foolish. Jessica here has yet to witness Lady Lambdadelta's cruelty firsthand."

"But what about me?" said Sento, who put on an innocent expression as though he were caught trying to peek at the presents before Christmas. "You hardly know anything about me. How do you know I am not, in fact, out to _help_ Jessica in some shape or form?"

"Well, for one matter, you wouldn't be foolish enough to mention it in front of Lady Lambdadelta if you _were,"_ said Beato with a smirk, "And for another, you address her as "Lambdadelta-_sama"._ And I can't imagine such a witch as her to allow you to use that honorific even jokingly."

"Heh, you're a smart one," said Sento with a smirk, "I can see why my incompetent brother married you—he needed _someone_ to wear the pants in the relationship."

Jessica had to stifle a laugh at this one, but she kept telling herself mentally to not let herself be swayed by Sento's charms. She could see what he was trying to do; he was putting the two women at ease so that if he proposed an especially outrageous bargain she would easily agree to it with little to no questions asked.

Knowing this, Jessica said, "Sento, why don't we just get down to business already. Tell us what it is you are offering."

Sento shared a grin with Lambdadelta before turning back to Jessica. He stood up and walked over to the center table. "The deal I am offering," he said, "is a heavy one. It is one that I am sure you will have difficulty with in accepting, but in time you will come around to accept it. Besides, you should be more competent than my brother; I can imagine you doing just fine in a game with—"

"Cut the crap already," said Jessica suddenly, getting out of her seat and marching towards the center table, "Either tell me what it is you want, or I will ask to leave."

Sento's eyes met Jessica's, and he spoke the words that would both shock and infuriate her:

"I am wagering the unborn child of Ushiromiya Battler and Ushiromiya Beato."

Jessica barely even had a second to think about how to respond to that when Beato jumped up from her seat and said sharply, "Don't you dare take that deal, Jessica!"

"Why shouldn't she?" said Sento calmly. "She had to know we would make _some _sort of sadistic deal with her, assuming you properly _warned_ her, that is. It's quite simple, really—if she wins each round, your chances of miscarrying decrease. However, if she _loses_ once, your chances may increase, but you will still be fine. And if she loses a _second_ time...then it's your loss, isn't it? Oh, of course-it would be your loss quite _literally._"

"I...I refuse!" burst out Jessica, slamming her hands down on the table. "I could _never_ accept such a deal! Does someone in the family even _have_ to be wagered, anyway? Why can't we just gamble, say, the family fortune?"

"Yeah, see, there's one little detail I forgot to tell you," said Lambdadelta, smiling cruelly, "The life of someone in the Ushiromiya family has _always_ been part of the deal all along; it was just recently that Sento managed to come up with the exact one in mind."

Jessica quickly spoke: "If you _must_ place the life of someone in the Ushiromiya family in the deal, then pick me instead! Let _my_ life be the one on the line! If I lose, kill _me_ instead, or make my health begin to fail or _something!"_

"Tsk, tsk, _tsk,"_ tutted Sento, "Dear Jessica, you are _needed_ for the duration of this game. If we were to lose you after one round, then we would have to turn to _other_ people in the family to torment—I mean, play with," he smiled.

"Wait, maybe this _is_ too cruel," spoke up Lambdadelta all of a sudden, "Maybe it isn't fair for us to drag that kid into this. Jessica hardly even _knows_ it, seeing how it's still months away from actually being _born._"

She suddenly grinned, _"Maybe_ we should use someone who already _has_ been born...someone whom Jessica _does_ know...like, maybe, her mother?"

"_Mom?"_ whispered Jessica, horrified.

"No, wait about her _dad?"_ said Lambdadelta quickly. "Yes, I think she'd be more than willing to go along if her _parents _were put on the line. After all, they're only getting in the way of her happiness with that boy, right?"

"No, I'd _never_ do that to my parents!" cried Jessica in an almost sob. "Even if they're overly-strict, even if they're trying to keep me away from Yoshiya, I would _never, ever_ put their lives on the line like that!"

"Wait," said Sento, raising a finger, "if not your _parents..._what about _Yoshiya?"_

"You...you _wouldn't!"_ gasped Jessica, feeling almost entirely ready to agree to wagering the baby. Her mind kept reasoning, You might win anyway, even if you don't maybe it would be for the best...

"I can see you care for him _very_ dearly," said Sento, clearly enjoying the look of desperation and horror in Jessica's eyes, "Yes, perhaps I _should_ place Yoshiya in the deal after all, seeing how—"

"_Wait!"_ gasped Jessica, feeling almost on the verge of an asthma attack. She almost fell to her knees, but steadied herself using the table as support. She stood up and said quietly, "I'll do it...with Battler and Beato's baby as the wager."

Beato ran over to Jessica, but Jessica put up a hand and gestured for her to be quiet. In spite of this, Beato felt the need to hiss, _"Don't you even dare!"_

Sento stretched out one hand. "Is it a done deal?" he said.

Before Beato could intervene, Jessica placed her hand in Sento's and shook it. "It's a deal," she said quietly.

Beato, too, nearly fell to her knees but managed to stop herself. She could hear Lambdadelta's evil cackling...see a bright light encompass the hands of the two opponents...feel her own heart slowly breaking...

"Good," said Sento, taking his hand away from Jessica's, "We shall begin in a few weeks, perhaps on Beato's nineteenth birthday. We will summon you when that day arrives. Until then..."

He grinned and used "Engrish": _"Have a nice day. See you again."_

Jessica and Beato vanished in a burst of gold while Sento stood there. He turned to Lambdadelta and said:

"Would you like some fetus fries to go with that hamburger?"

* * *

Taking a few puffs on her inhaler soothed Jessica's nerves just a bit, but not by a whole lot. All it did was make it easier for her to breathe. It did not take away her feelings of guilt.

She knew she should've never accepted the deal and walked away while she still could...but what choice _had_ she? It was either her parents, the boy she loved, or something she wasn't even attached to.

Yet she knew that, sooner or later, Battler and Beato might come around to care for it. She wondered if she even _should_ ask Battler for help in this. How could she tell him that she just placed the future of his child into the hands of a witch and her malicious piece? Then again...she supposed it wasn't just _their_ hands...she, too, was delicately balancing their child in her own hands.

Jessica put her inhaler back in her pocket and took a walk through the halls of the guest house. She stopped by the door to the room the cousins shared and gently pushed it open. On the bed sat Beato with her back to the door.

"Beato? It's me," said Jessica. "Would you like me to come in?"

"_No,"_ said Beato coldly.

Jessica hesitated. "Beato," she said, "did...did your counterpart tell you about the deal?"

"Yes," said Beato stiffly. Then, "I want to be alone right now."

Jessica took a step back and closed the door. Beato lay down in the bed and curled up under the covers. To be confirmed she was with child, be forced to expose that to the entire family, discuss it with her husband and in-laws, _and_ to discover she might just lose it within one day was all too much for her. She had to lie down and rest, if only for a little while until she had to face reality again.


	13. Chapter 13

13

Over the next few weeks, the storm grew stronger, and the adults reluctantly resigned themselves to the fact that they would inevitably have to miss important meetings that had been scheduled during those few weeks. The one thing that would not be missed, island or city, rain or sunshine, was Beato's nineteenth birthday.

* * *

Beato grimaced as she washed her face at the bathroom sink, having just suffered the usual round of morning sickness. She had only been awake for five minutes before getting that sickly jerk in her stomach, giving her the signal to run to the nearest bathroom. She hoped this would be the _only_ incident today; on all the other days, it was inevitable she would be sick at least twice; three times or more if she spent too much time near the kitchen or out in the rose garden.

It was only seconds after she made this false hope when he suddenly got that horrible urge once more; she got on her knees, leaned over the toilet, and her second round began. As she vomited, she reached a conclusion: _Any woman who would willingly put themselves through this is a masochist._

It was only when she had stopped that she noticed a finger reaching out to flush the toilet for her, and a hand handing her a tissue. She turned to see Battler kneeling next to her, and she took the tissue from his hand.

"Ah—pregnancy looks wonderful," he sighed.

"Why don't _you_ try being sick every morning, huh?" muttered Beato as she wiped off the corners of her mouth.

"Hey, I was just joking," said Battler, helping Beato stand up on her feet, "You know I'm worried about you."

_You'd be even more worried if you knew this baby might not even be born,_ though Beato glumly. She had gone for nearly the entire month without speaking a word to Jessica, any potential friendship between them severed by her promise.

To some extent, she could understand what Jessica was going through...it wasn't all that different from what she herself had gone through not too long ago. Yet she felt infuriated—beyond that, even—that Jessica had put her child's life at stake. She knew Jessica would probably be smart enough to make it through all the rounds and thus save the baby...but the idea that she had even _accepted_ it...

"Getting a bump yet?" asked Battler. He would've checked for himself by rubbing his hands on Beato's stomach, but recently she was sensitive about being touched. One minute she would allow him to give her a massage to alleviate a backache; the next she'd be swatting his hands away from her. "The last time we saw Dr. Nanjo, he said you'd be just about close to your second trimester around this time."

"I think it's next week," said Beato. She rubbed her stomach lightly with one hand. Her shape was beginning to change ever so slightly, but her stomach was still flat as a pancake. "No, there is no bump just yet."

"Oh," said Battler, feeling partially relieved—a bump would've been too much of a scary reminder of the reality of the situation. Then, he leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek before saying, "Happy birthday."

_That's right—it's the twenty-ninth,_ Beato realized. She said, "Thank you." Then, "Maybe we should go downstairs?"

"Actually," said Battler, "I ran into Genji and Kumasawa just a few minutes ago, and they said they'd be coming up here to wish you happy birthday."

"Oh?" said Beato, interested but nervous. She had yet to speak to Genji and Kumasawa personally about the baby, though it was safe to guess they already knew. "Did they say anything else?"

"Oh yeah, they also said they want to talk to you," said Battler. His brow furrowed. "I think they might be talking to you about...you know...but they didn't say."

He took Beato's hand in his and the two walked out of the bathroom together. They had chosen to sleep with the other cousins the night before, and they had all gotten up and were out of the house, leaving the room to just the two of them.

Battler turned to Beato and said with a sly grin, "So, Beato...how about I give you a _special_ birthday present tonight, eh? Tonight in our own room?"

Beato shrugged. "I'll think about it," she said. Dr. Nanjo had assured them that intercourse was perfectly safe and would not harm the baby—besides, the worst thing that could happen from having unprotected sex had _already_ happened. While Beato was still sensitive about being touched, part of her wanted to have a special night with Battler. She hadn't quite yet made up her mind about what she wanted to do regarding this.

Beato yawned and sat down on the edge of the bed, rubbing her eyes. Battler sat next to her and said, "Hey, Beato...this is just a suggestion, but...why don't you wear that dress you always wore during our games together? It _is_ your birthday after all."

"I haven't worn that in a while," muttered Beato. "Sure, I guess."

She sounded half-awake as she said this. Battler took the hint and got off the bed. "I'll let you rest for a little bit," he said. He walked over to the door, when a thought struck him. He turned and said, "Beato...I'll be waiting just outside, maybe I'll come back inside. When you're feeling more awake, come out and see me, okay?"

Beato suddenly feared that he somehow knew about the deal. She asked, "Why?"

"Eh, I just need to talk to you for a bit, okay?" shrugged Battler. "You rest now."

Beato curled up under the covers and closed her eyes. She thought to herself, _How thoughtful of him..._

She had just drifted off when she heard the door open again. She sat up in bed and noticed Kumasawa and Genji coming in, the former holding a slice of cake on a tray with a glass of milk, the latter holding a wrapped-up gift box.

With a bright smile, Kumasawa set the tray down on the bed and said, "Happy birthday, Beato." With a twinkle in her eye, she said, "Do not worry—I assure you this cake was _not_ made with essence of mackerel, hoho!"

Beato lightly chuckled, "Some things about you never change." She picked up the glass of milk and drank from it first before having a bite of the cake; milk often helped keep the food down.

"And here is a present for you, milady," said Genji, laying the gift box on the bed. "It is a simple one, but hopefully you will appreciate it."

With some food and liquid in her, Beato's stomach settled down and she felt slightly better, though still a bit exhausted. Dr. Nanjo had said her fatigue was all part of her condition. Just another annoyance that made her wish Battler would be the one to carry it.

Beato picked up the box and shook it, turning it over on one side, then the other. She shook it again in hopes of gaining some sort of hint as to what was inside it. She shrugged, placed the box in her lap, and tried to rip the ribbon off, but found it a tad difficult.

Kumasawa laughed, "Ah, just like you used to open up your presents!" She helped Beato undo the ribbon and slip it off before Beato took off the lid of the box. She tossed the wrapping paper aside onto the floor, to find...

"A dress?" said Beato curiously as she slowly dragged out a long-sleeved black dress that looked a bit large, to say nothing of it being old-fashioned. She was not sure just how long the dress would be if she were to try it on, but judging from its length alone, she supposed it would reach her ankles. But that wasn't what made it old-fashioned. No, it had white lace on the edges of the sleeves, and a white lace collar with a brooch. It looked more like something American women from the Victorian age would wear.

"Yes," nodded Kumasawa, "You'll be entering your second trimester very soon, and it won't be long until most of your clothes don't fit you anymore." She chuckled, "I know it's not exactly very pretty, but in time more attractive clothes will come."

"And speaking of which," spoke Genji, "we would both like to talk to you about the baby."

Beato fiddled with the blankets. She knew this talk was inevitable.

"Beato," began Kumasawa, her jolly expression now dropped, "Do you or Battler have any idea how much of a responsibility this is?"

There was that word again—_responsibility._ Beato had heard it time and time again from the other parents, and from George. They were gracious enough not to say anything rude (to her face, anyway; sometimes she wondered if they waited until she was out of earshot before letting their _real _feelings loose; she hoped George at least wasn't that way); they were neutral at best, but that was the one word they would frequently bring up:

"Responsibility can be challenging, but rewarding. Hopefully, you'll come around to feel the same about this responsibility, something I look forward to sharing with Sayo a few years from now."

"I remember being ready for the responsibility for years before finally being blessed with Jessica."

"Be grateful that Battler is willing to take on the responsibility, unlike some men."

"Responsibility is part of the test of seeing who is fit for the next head of the family. I studied my hardest to present myself as responsible to the family, but even though I was rejected as the next head, I had the chance to pour my responsibility onto George, who will hopefully pass it on."

It appeared to be some sort of code for "baby", or "ready to have a baby", or "ready to be a parent". Beato knew what the word meant, but recently the connotation seemed to have a family meaning behind it. She found it ironic for the context in which it was used, considering that she and Battler hadn't exactly been "responsible" on their wedding night.

In response to Kumasawa's question, Beato said, almost irritably, "Of course I do. I've heard the word often enough."

"As well you _should,"_ said Kumasawa sternly, "Your whole life is about to change drastically. Whether it's going to change for the better or worse depends entirely on how much responsibility you and Battler put into caring for this baby. And from what I hear, you and Battler weren't very responsible at all when the baby was conceived."

Beato braced herself for the incoming lecture and sure enough, she got it; for the next five minutes, she sat as still as a stone while listening to Kumasawa berate her for not asking Battler if there was 'something' he needed to get, for not thinking things through, for not stopping to consider that she might get pregnant, and for not realizing the potential impact it could have on her relationship with Battler. All the while, she stared down at her slice of cake as though it were responsible for all her problems.

When Kumasawa had exhausted all disappointment and anger, she said, "Is there anything you have to say for yourself, young lady?"

Beato picked up her fork and danced it around the slice of cake. "Yes, actually," she said, "The baby's life might be at stake."

Genji and Kumasawa looked at Beato curiously. Beato had realized only during Kumasawa's lecture that these two just might be able to help her and Jessica. Hopefully, her timing hadn't been _too_ off.

With this hope, Beato began to explain the situation.

* * *

Jessica stood opposite Sento in the meta-world, her face flushed, her heart racing wildly as the two made eye contact. She hadn't forgiven herself for the choice she had made, and she could tell Beato hadn't forgiven her, either; ever since that day, Beato had acted very cold and distant towards Jessica. She would avoid eye contact with her whenever they were in the same room. She refused to talk to her, and acted like she did not hear her, only talking to her to ask her to pass something across the dinner table.

_Well, here's hoping I can save her from totally hating me forever,_ thought Jessica. She said, "I'm ready, Sento. Bring it on."

Lambdadelta stood just behind Sento and said, "We'll just go over a quick view of the rules—like Beato's game, we'll be using the blue text and the red text. And in case you weren't paying attention in the Court of Illusions..."

She spoke and red letters flew: **"Everything in red is the truth."** Then, using blue letters, _"Everything in blue is only a theory."_ Then, speaking normally, "Only Sento or I can use red, or possibly other witches present, but seeing how none are here...you, however, can use blue to make theories and guesses. Sound fair?"

Jessica nodded, not taking her gaze away from the smirking Sento.

"Good," said Lambdadelta. "Then let the game begin!"

"First question," spoke Sento, "how exactly could I have survived falling off that cliff? Wouldn't the physical force from the impact have caused my fragile neck to snap even if the servant were holding me close? And please, don't try to cheat your way out of it by claiming it was a 'miracle'."

Jessica needed only a few seconds to think; this was the question that had been on her mind, and she came up with a theory: "Well...which cliff? Would it have to be an extraordinarily high one? Of course, if it were a hundred or hundred and fifty feet, then there would only be a small chance. If it were around, say, an area that was only thirty or fifty feet, _then it could be possible for you to have survived if the servant were holding you tightly enough. Perhaps she was holding you tight before my mother even pushed her off the cliff—perhaps she was trying to get you to stop crying and was comforting you just as she was pushed off. Furthermore, the servant might have fallen down on her back, not necessarily on her front."_

"Interesting, interesting," mused Sento. **"I'll acknowledge it. **So how could I have been mistaken for dead, then?"

This took Jessica bit longer; she thought for a minute before saying, _"There might have been a point where you ceased crying and fell asleep. The ocean waves crashing might have also prevented your cries from being heard. Kinzo might have realized what really happened and convinced Dr. Nanjo to pretend you had died for some reason."_

Jessica had been certain that this blue truth would be her saviour—then Sento spoke: **"Kinzo was certain that I was dead. Dr. Nanjo was not on the island the day the servant's corpse was discovered!"**

Jessica could swear she felt her heart skip a beat. She gulped and tugged at her tie. "Well...uh..."

"If you will pardon me," spoke a voice, "I would be most delighted to help this young lady with this question...pukuku."

Before Jessica's eyes materialized her former opponent, a certain cheeky butler who reminded her of Genji in some ways.

"Ronove?" said Jessica, surprised.

By Ronove's side materialized the silver-haired witch whom Jessica had seen in the Court of Illusions. "And Virgilia, at your service," spoke the witch. "Beato told us you might need our help. However, she herself was unwilling to come with us."

Lambdadelta smirked. "So you have back-up! How wonderful!" She put on a mock sad face. "Aww, but your dear _friend_ isn't here! How sad!"

"And who could blame her?" said Sento with a smug smile. "You _did_ put her child's life on the line, after all."

Jessica clenched her fists, but felt Ronove's hand on her shoulder. "I am certain that this young lady only had the best intentions in mind when she agreed to the deal," he spoke. "I have heard that you also offered her parents' lives, or the life of the young man she loves."

Virgilia stepped forward. "In any event," she said, "your question must be answered. If Lady Lambdadelta permits it..."

"Very well," sighed Lambdadelta, looking bored already, which was a dangerous sign, "I never really said you _couldn't_ accept help."

Virgilia spoke:

"**If it was not Kinzo who knew you were alive, then there was bound to be someone else on the island who knew. If Dr. Nanjo was not there that day, then it could not for sure have been confirmed that the child really was dead. **_Whoever discovered the servant and the baby first, perhaps, realized that the baby was still alive, took an immediate distrust to Natsuhi or Kinzo, and claimed that the baby had died along with the servant. That explains how the baby could have been mistaken for dead."_

Jessica felt somewhat self-conscious that she herself hadn't thought of that sooner. Sento remarked, "Not bad...for someone who needed an ally to come in and do all the work for you. But well-done—**I acknowledge it."**

"I—I managed to come up with a good first half!" said Jessica self-defensively.

"There is just one more question that needs answering before you will be permitted to leave," said Sento, "Who could have possibly found me and known I was still alive?"

Jessica racked her brain for any possibilities. Who else could have been there that day? Which servants had been on duty?

"The clock is ticking, fair sister," said Sento, still smiling smugly. It was smug enough to tempt Jessica to use her father's boxing skills to wipe it right off his face. "We cannot be here all day."

"My father!" blurted out Jessica. _"Krauss could've found the servant and baby first! He could've realized how humiliated my mother was feeling over having to be given a child to her, and also arrived to the conclusion that it would be best if she didn't have to be burdened with the responsibility, so...so..."_

"_So he hid the baby elsewhere until he could figure out how to get it off the island,"_ spoke Ronove.

Jessica silently thanked Ronove. She had felt herself begin to slip, and was grateful for the assistance.

"Seems like a random defence pulled out of the hat like a rabbit at the last second," scoffed Sento. "But very well. **I acknowledge it.** What do you say to these arguments, Lambdadelta-sama? Do you acknowledge them as well?"

"**Yeah, sure, why not, I'll acknowledge them as the Witch of Certainty,"** shrugged Lambdadelta. "Well, you can go now. The next round will be _much_ more interesting, hopefully."

"I'm sure it will be," said Jessica. But she was not quite ready to leave just yet. She spoke:

"Sento...I want you to know that, in a way, I can understand why you're doing this. You want to take revenge on all of us for abandoning you—Uncle Rudolf, for refusing to take responsibility for two children at once; and my mother, for...what she did. But I don't think that gives you the excuse to put your nephew or niece's life on the line."

Sento looked at Jessica oddly. "Is that all?" he said in a neutral tone.

Jessica nodded. "Yes, that is all I wanted to say. I will leave now."

Jessica disappeared along with Ronove and Virgilia. Lambdadelta sighed, "Well, that was almost _too_ easy! I think we should make the next round _waaaay_ harder!" She giggled, "Maybe I'll have Jessica's blood as ketchup to go with those fetus fries, ha-ha-ha-ha!"

Sento only nodded and sank in his seat, thinking about Jessica's words. As much as he didn't want to acknowledge it...her words rang true. He couldn't forgive his father for trying to weasel his way out of responsibility, regardless of who it was for—in retrospect, it almost made him angry to see him behaving almost hypocritically towards his _other_ son, the one whom he had _wanted_ because he had been born to the woman he _really_ loved.

And Natsuhi...she could've been a mother to him. He could've been Jessica's older brother, been there to play alongside her and watch her grow...possibly attend the same school as her, protecting her from bullies, helping her with her homework, or prepare her for her first date...

Sento sat up a bit straighter and grinned, "Yes, Lambdadelta, I think Jessica's blood would be just suitable as ketchup."

* * *

Outside, the rain poured hard. Battler was beginning to doubt if he even _should_ go outside after all. He wondered if maybe they should both stay behind. Or what if he simply had Beato stay, and he went to go get her some breakfast from the kitchen?

Or...maybe they could go out together. Perhaps she could even go a few feet ahead alone…but it was practically a typhoon out there. What if something happened...and...

"_Thank you...liar...good-bye and...I'm sorry..."_

Thinking about holding that gold, fluttering remainder in his hands...of seeing the woman he loved crumbling to ash...of realizing too late how he truly felt for her...of realizing he had been torturing her all this time...

"Never again, Beato," whispered Battler tightly, "Never again. I promised you'd never feel any more pain...and I'll make sure you won't. Even if...even if I have to restrict some of your freedom a little bit."

Yeah...just a _little_ bit. He wasn't going to lock her up in her room all day. He wasn't going to keep her isolated from the rest of the world. He was just going to be more protective of her. He had to especially protective of her now that she was carrying their child.

Battler turned his head when he heard footsteps. Coming just down the stairs were Beato, with Kumasawa and Genji behind her. She had changed into her gown for the day, keeping her hair flowing and loose.

"Good morning," said Battler to Kumasawa and Genji. He gasped when Beato's ankle began to slip out from under her and he cried out, "Beato, watch out!"

But Beato had been able to stop herself from falling and walked briskly down the stairs. "Now Battler, you should know perfectly well that Beato is capable of balancing herself," said Kumasawa.

"That's right," said Beato, reaching the bottom. She ran up to Battler, ran one hand through his hair, and playfully said, "Wha~t? Don't you trust me, Battler?"

"I...I guess I do," said Battler.

"Just not around cookies, r~ight?" said Beato teasingly.

Battler had to smile at that. "Right. Now what do you say we go get some breakfast?"

* * *

It was just after breakfast that Jessica found Beato sitting in the parlour all by herself, staring out at the rain. Jessica wondered if she should tell Beato that the first game had gone all right, and there just might be a chance she would win all rounds, and the baby would be just fine. Would that give her cause to forgive Jessica then?

Jessica took a seat next to Beato. "Beato," she said, "I won the first round."

"Good for you," said Beato stiffly, "But that doesn't mean you'll win the other rounds."

Jessica paused. "Beato," she said, "you're not still mad at me, are you?"

Beato did not answer her and continued to stare out at the rain.

"Um...thanks for sending in help," said Jessica, hoping it would attract her interest.

"Genji and Kumasawa were more than grateful to help," said Beato. She said, "You know...Kumasawa actually gave me a new dress this morning."

"Oh yeah, it's your birthday," Jessica lightly laughed. "Happy birthday."

"Do you know what kind of dress it was?" said Beato, ignoring Jessica. "It was designed for me to wear when my clothes stop fitting me...in other words, if I am still pregnant by then."

She did not need to yell at Jessica for how she had endangered the baby; those words were plenty enough. Jessica said, "Beato...do you think you could at least send your counterpart with me? The more back-up, the better. Maybe...maybe we could even get Battler into this somehow?"

"That's...not a bad idea, actually," muttered Beato. "Yeah...I guess we _could_ tell him."

The rain continued to pore outside and the two young women sat in a gloomy silence.

* * *

Battler lay his head down on the desk once belonging to Kinzo in the study. He had been up a bit earlier than Beato, so naturally, he felt tired. He yawned and closed his eyes, his mind drifting off to nothing in particular but everything...

"_I thought you said you used a condom."_

"_You have no idea how disappointed I am."_

"_How? By bringing the baby to your classes with you?"_

"KYAHAHAHA!"

Battler gasped and leaped up from the desk. Standing right before him was Beato, with her hair up in its usual bun, a look seeking out to displease Battler on her cackling face. "B—Beato!" he gasped.

"Surprised to see me _Baaattleeer?"_ teased Beato. "Don't you remember me? Remember your promise to kill me?"

Battler felt himself sweat. He thought, _Why is this coming back to haunt me now?_

"You broke several promises before, Battler," said Beato cruelly, pacing back and forth in front of the desk, "You promised to come back for me on a white horse. I trusted you. I believed in you. And do you know what happened because I believed in you, Battler?"

She unrolled her sleeves and her slender, delicate arms began to crunch, crunch horribly...then, without warning, there was a horrifying _CRACK_ and one of those arms twisted, then bent, at the angle it had been twisted at.

_That's right,_ thought Battler, feeling sick to his stomach, _I just about forgot how Kinzo hurt her...tried to make sure she would never escape...she was saved before anything else happened, but she was still hurt..._

"Please, stop it now," spoke Battler, his voice on the verge of breaking, "I beg you. I know what happened. You don't need to—"

But then Beato's other arm let out a similar crack, twisted, and bent. Her once beautiful and delicate arms were broken and horribly misshapen. The sound of it, and the look, made Battler feel sick to the stomach.

With a shrug, her arms returned to normal, and her sleeves fell over them once more. "You promised to kill me," she went on, "and this is what happened because of it!"

A sudden blue wedge pierced Beato through the foot. It brought back memories of the final confrontation between him and Beato at the end of the fourth game...how it was his blue truths that had pierced through her body, putting her through unimaginable agony. It also brought Battler back to what he had read somewhere in a back—that even if a vital organ were to be struck, a person could be alive for ten seconds after impalement. In other words, it would be, say, a cramp or sharp pain in the chest or stomach or wherever before dying. He tried imagining feeling that pain for _longer_ than that...

One by one, each blue truth pierced Beato, through the heart, through the stomach, causing her to cough up blood violently, so violently and with such force that it ended up all over Battler's jacket.

"S-s-stop it, please," gasped Battler, almost unable to witness this.

But one last blue wedge struck out from under the ground and skewered Beato to the ceiling, just about crucifying her. After nearly ten seconds, the blue wedges faded and Beato fell back to the ground, her body in one piece as though nothing had ever happened to it.

"Once again," she spoke, "you promised to kill me...this time, not with the intent to defeat me, but to end my suffering. And this is what happened because of it!"

"_Stop it, please!"_ Battler choked out, tears streaming down his face. He could not bear to watch as several goats surrounded Beato, each grabbing onto her and slowly beginning to tear her apart, gnawing on any pieces that would not go in while she tried to go down laughing but ended up sounding like a human dying in agony.

Battler fell to his knees, buried his face in his hands, and cried, _"Stop it!"_

But he was forced by the jerk of a hand to look up. This time, the calm, serene, peaceful Beato with her hair down smiled and said, "Thank you...liar...good-bye and...I'm sorry..."

And she slowly began to fade out. Battler leaped up and tried desperately to grab onto whatever was left of her, falling to his knees as he could not catch even the smallest bit of her. He let out a sob as Beato materialized once again.

"This time," she said, "you have promised that I would never feel any pain ever again. But now, I am feeling something worse than pain—fear. It is said that the fear is worse than the actual pain itself, but it is still fear. I fear what will happen to our child—to _us."_

Battler was suddenly surrounded by a dozen children, six of them with red hair, the other with blonde, all of undistinguishable gender, asking, _"Why, daddy? Why couldn't you have been more responsible? Who will take care of us?"_

"They're right," spoke up the voice of Rudolf, who began to materialize in the room, "You will be a _terrible_ father. How could you get yourself into this? You can't even afford to take care of them _alone!_ You might as well just drop out of college now and give up all hopes of ever making your life better now you incompetent—"

"_I am not incompetent!" _shrieked Battler as he picked up a book and thrust it at the image of his father, who vanished as soon as the book made contact.

"Lies, nothing but _lies,"_ scoffed Beato. "You have broken all your promises to me, Battler. Our child won't be any happier for it; they're more likely to suffer from your cycle of broken promises as well. Imagine yourself promising to make it to their baseball game, but being busy with work...or picking them up from school, but being busy with your own lessons...or taking them to the hospital to fix their tummy ache which is rapidly becoming a lethal case of appendicitis, but being busy with Ange..."

"_SHUT UUUUUUP!"_ shrieked Battler, covering his ears and squeezing his eyes shut, listening to the cackles of Beato. He sobbed, "Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up..."

* * *

"Battler? BATTLER!"

Battler gasped and shot up straight in the chair. His gaze dashed around the room, like a startled deer. He could feel his heart pounding like a warrior's drum against his chest. His gaze finally rested on Beato, whose hair was down, and who was looking at him with a worried expression.

"B—Beato!" he gasped, thinking, _It was all a dream...it was just a dream..._

"I could hear you screaming all the way from the parlour," said Beato. "Have a bad dream?"

Battler gulped and nodded, feeling cold sweat pouring down his forehead, trembling violently. He took a few deep breathes to calm himself down, feeling Beato's hand in his squeeze gently. Even though it was all just a dream...it had been right. He had broken so many promises to Beato, and she had endured so much pain because of this broken promises.

Well...it just gave him all the more reason to make it up to her...to do whatever he could to ensure the safety of his wife and unborn child...

"Battler," said Beato, the corners of her mouth slowly twitching into a naughty grin, "I think I might just be up to your 'present' after all, kyahaha..."

"When? Tonight?" said Battler.

"Mmm, I was thinking _now,"_ cooed Beato, running one finger up and down his jacket. She leaned in to kiss him. "Perhaps right here in this room..."

"Ah," said Battler, backing up a bit, "what if someone walked in on us? No, I think we should use our private room. No one will ever check on us there, right?"

Beato grinned. "Right."

He and Beato both got up and ran off, giggling. If nothing else, the sex would take his mind off his worries for the time being...and assure him not everything was about to go down in _total_ ruin.


	14. Chapter 14

14

Two weeks came and went since Beato's birthday. The storm continued to grow stronger, as did the worries of Battler, Beato, and Jessica, none of whom were entirely certain of their future.

* * *

Battler woke up to the sound of thunder. He personally did not mind thunder all that much, and sometimes found it relaxing. There was something calming about listening to low rumbling outside within the security of his home. He remembered his father once recalling how he and Asumu had worried that an impending thunderstorm would keep the infant Battler up all night, and thus they wouldn't get any sleep, only to be relieved when Battler slept through the night, almost as though the thunder were some sort of lullaby.

Part of Battler hoped that the baby would inherit that trait; it would be stressful enough to take care of it during the clear, sunny daytime.

Battler felt a pair of hands latch around his back, and he remembered someone else did not think thunder was all that relaxing. He smiled down at his sister and said, "Hey, Ange; scared of the thunder?"

Ange buried her head on Battler's shoulder. "Onii-chan, it's too loud," she whispered.

"Uu, Ange, the thunder is really just the witches having a party, uu!" said Maria, who was playing cards with George and Jessica on the floor. "They'll stop when their feet get sore and they have to rest!"

There was another, slightly louder, rumble of thunder and Ange clutched onto Battler tighter. Battler lightly chuckled, "It's all right, Ange; as long as I'm here, nothing can get to you, okay? Now why don't we sit up and look out the window together, hmm?"

Ange unlatched herself from Battler's back, allowing for Battler to sit up straight in the bed. He took his sister in his lap and gave her a hug, and the two watched the rainstorm together. It was a calm, peaceful moment. Almost nothing could interrupt it, save perhaps the occasional clap of thunder or so.

Battler smiled at Ange and lightly ruffled her red hair. He was beginning to picture this scenario with his and Beato's child in a few years from now. He could picture him or her running into his and Beato's bed, scared over the thunderstorm outside and insisting on staying in bed with their parents; the three of them would lie together and watch the rain outside, commenting on how their Aunt—or "Ange onee-chan"—used to be scared of such storms.

This scenario ceased to be desirable when Battler realized he was thinking on the assumption that everything would work itself out. He knew he couldn't think like that; he would have to think realistically. If he really wanted to make something good come out of his and Beato's situation, he would find a job and somehow balance class hours, work hours, and the rest for the baby.

"You seem to be a lot calmer now, Ange," spoke up George, looking up from his deck of cards, "Battler has done a good job in making this seem less scary, hasn't he?"

Ange nodded. "Battler onii-chan makes everything all better," she said solemnly.

George smiled over at Battler. "You're absolutely wonderful around your sister. I'm sure you'll be just as great with your own child."

"Uh, yeah, sure," laughed Battler nervously.

"Come on now, Battler," said George, "You have some skill about how to handle babies, no? You do just fine with Ange."

"Yes, but Ange isn't a baby anymore," said Battler, smiling at Ange, "She's a big girl now. And I wasn't around when she was a baby. But yeah, I guess I know _some_ things about babies..."

"Have more faith in yourself, Battler," said George, "You'll do just fine with the baby. You'll be a great father."

Battler laughed, "Try telling that to my old man, ihihi!"

"Uncle Rudolf is just worried about you," said George with a wave of his hand, "He's coming down hard on you because he was in a similar situation himself. I don't know a lot about the circumstances surrounding your birth, but I have heard that your father's carefree days as a young adult were cut short when you came along. I think he just wanted you to be able to keep your youth longer than he could, and got upset when it was cut off even _shorter_ than his own."

Battler nodded. "I guess, if I look at it from that perspective. Even though my dad's education and teen years were completed long before I was born, I must've put a kink in his plans for a harem of ten till he was fifty, ihihi!"

He noticed then that there was one person absent: "So where's Beato? Is she in the bathroom?"

Jessica looked up from her deck. "She woke up just before you did," she said, "She went into the bathroom, and...you know...then she got some clothes to get dressed. She came out still wearing her nightgown, and said she was going downstairs."

"She didn't say she was going _outside,_ did she?" said Battler sharply.

Jessica shrugged, "She only said she was going downstairs. She might've gone outside, I don't know."

Ange could tell her brother was about to get up, so she slid off his lap and onto the ground just in time for Battler to get out of bed and up to his feet. He ran over to the coat rack and slipped on his white jacket over his pyjama top and called out over his shoulder as he left, "I'll see you all in a couple minutes."

* * *

Beato wandered around the first level of the guest house, occasionally sitting down to rest. She had her suspicions, but she was waiting for Battler to get up and come down first. She knew he didn't like it when she went out alone. The last time she had tried, she had only gone five steps out before Battler suddenly came running up behind her with a lecture to never go outside without him ever again.

It was something that puzzled her—why wouldn't Battler let her go outside alone? Did he think she was fragile, that she would break at the slightest slip? She was pregnant, not breakable. She knew she had to be careful, but it wasn't like she went running through the rain, or down every potentially wet corridor.

In some ways, his behaviour almost scared her. He was beginning to remind her of someone else who had those kind of tendencies...

She turned at the sound of Battler running down the stairs and right up to her. "Beato," he said, "I'm glad to see you're still here."

"Why wouldn't I be?" said Beato. "I've been waiting for you to get up so we can go to the main house together."

"Oh," said Battler, part of him feeling guilty for thinking Beato could ever ignore his best interests, "Have you been waiting long?"

Beato shook her head. "No, only about five minutes." She paused. "There is something I actually need to talk to Kumasawa about...maybe even Kyrie."

She used one hand to smooth and slightly flatten her nightgown around her stomach...revealing a very small bump. It wasn't large, but it was there.

Battler gulped at the sight of it, thinking, _Oh wow...this is really happening...we're really having a baby..._

Outside, he said, "You're getting a bump."

Beato nodded. "I don't know if it's been there since last week and I just didn't notice until now, or if it just came last night...but when I went to change, the pair of pants I had chosen didn't fit me, and my blouse didn't button all the way down. It was then that I noticed..."

"Ah," said Battler, nodding. Then, "Is it okay if I...touch it?"

Beato nodded. Battler lightly placed one hand on the small bump and slowly ran it up and down. The bump was round and smooth, but firm. He thought about what was inside that bump...he wondered if it could hear every word its parents said right now...if it could somehow sense its father's fear by his touch...

Battler gently drew his hand away. He forced himself to smile and say, "That's our baby all right." Then, "Do you feel it moving?"

Beato shook her head. "Not yet," she said quietly. She paused before saying, "Battler...there is something we need to talk about. It's about Jessica."

"Oh?" said Battler, curious. "What now about Jessica? I've noticed you two haven't been speaking, which was strange since you and she got along so well in the beginning."

"Jessica is...under a lot of stress right now," sighed Beato, "In fact, she's in a situation very similar to ours..."

Beato wasn't sure if she could bring herself to tell Battler the full details, including the bargain, so she slowly explained to him about Jessica's game with Lambdadelta and Sento, leaving in how Sento was a cruel opponent, but leaving out how their child's life was hanging in the balance.

When she was finished, Battler said quietly, "What can I do to help? Should I go in my sorcerer form, or...?"

Beato nodded. "Yes, I think that would be best."

"So, does this have anything to do with why you and Jessica aren't on speaking terms?" asked Battler. "Did something come up in the meta-world?"

Beato looked off to the side. "Sort of," she said uncomfortably, "I guess there's no real reason I _can't_ go with you."

She figured she may as well be there when Battler heard about the bargain; he would have to find out sooner or later. Besides, she was beginning to get bored with simply being the "good wife"; she longed to get a taste of action again, even if it was only her counterpart who was experiencing it.

"Just _be careful,"_ said Battler sternly, placing both hands on Beato's shoulders, "You know how cruel Lambdadelta can be, and I couldn't bear to lose you again. I'm glad you told me this; now you'll have me to come in and protect you."

"Uh...thank you," said Beato awkwardly. From what little she could remember, there had been an incident in the fifth game where she needed rescuing; otherwise, she couldn't recall any other instances where she was in dire need of protection...and she had a feeling it wasn't because of her shaky memory; rather, that she simply hardly ever needed to be saved.

Battler and Beato turned at the sound of the door opening. Kyrie and Rudolf came rushing in from the rain, Kyrie slamming the door behind them, Rudolf closing the umbrella while letting out a breath of relief.

"Storm gotten worse, dad?" said Battler.

Rudolf turned to Battler. "Yes, it has," he said dully. Needless to say, Battler and Rudolf's relationship, which had already been strained and had slowly been getting better to at least being on civil terms, had been further strained by the revelation of the baby, which hadn't done wonders for either's reputation amongst the adult members.

Beato broke the ice, or so she thought: "I'm beginning to show."

Unfortunately, this only made the layer of ice between Battler and Rudolf even thicker. Rudolf scoffed, "How _wonderful._ Now we have something to _show_ for our shame."

Beato was surprised to hear herself say in a clear voice: "I don't think it's shameful. Maybe it's unexpected, but it's not shameful. Battler and I are still married."

"People aren't going to take _that_ into consideration," muttered Rudolf, glaring at Beato, "If anything, your marriage _with_ your young age will only make this worse. They won't see a happy young married couple; they'll see a pair of irresponsible teenagers who _had_ to get married." His glare switched over to Battler. "And I will be forced to say that boy is _my_ son."

"But," Battler tried to speak up, but Rudolf was already heading for the stairs, muttering something about getting the cousins to come downstairs.

Kyrie walked up to the couple and said, "You must understand where his attitude is coming from. He's worried about how the two of you are going to manage this, especially you, Battler."

Battler nodded, remembering George's words from just a couple minutes ago. If he was so worried, why did he have to be so harsh about expressing his concerns?

Battler hadn't meant to say this out loud, but he realized he had when Kyrie sighed, "Flip the chessboard around: Your father wanted you to get the best education, and for you to just be _young_ and only worry about your plans after school. I know the two of you don't get on the best of terms, but he _does_ care for you even when he's acting like he is now. Now imagine hearing that the child whom you wanted to have the best future will suddenly be putting that future on hold because they are having a baby while still young."

"I guess I can understand that," muttered Battler, both annoyed and astonished that George's words were being echoed by Kyrie. It was one thing to hear the words come out of the mouth of his cousins who only knew the bare minimum facts; it was another to hear them from his mother who knew more about the situation.

"Are...are you mad about this?" spoke up Beato almost timidly.

Kyrie looked back and forth between the two. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't even the slightest bit furious about this," she said, "but now that time has gone on...I'm more disappointed than I am mad."

"So, you'll be a _bit_ more supportive of this?" said Battler hopefully. He quickly added, "You don't have to give us money or anything; we already made the deal that you _wouldn't;_ I just mean...emotionally...you know?"

"Perhaps," said Kyrie slowly, "I never said I would be, but..." She took notice of the small belly Beato had been lightly rubbing. "Ah, we're beginning to show now. I assume you were about to come down to talk about what you will be wearing?"

Beato nodded. "Kumasawa gave me a dress for my birthday," she said, "But I don't want to wear _just_ that alone. She said she'll bring more clothes eventually, though."

"Hmm," said Kyrie thoughtfully, "How about you wear something loose and comfortable for today while I talk to Kumasawa about what you might want to wear?"

"Muu, I guess I could do that for now," muttered Beato, looking very much like a doll Battler wanted to give to Ange and place it on the top of her shelf.

"Ihihi, you're cute when you look like that!" said Battler, giving her a quick peck on the lips.

Kyrie hoped to take the couple's closeness an indication that they just might be able to pull through this together...but she knew not to assume anything for now.

* * *

Jessica did not like this situation one bit.

One minute, she had been in the cousin's room, looking up from her card game with George, Ange, and Maria to see Rudolf come in through the door to announce to them that it was time for breakfast; the next she was back in the meta-world, standing right near the table. She hoped none of them had noticed; she had managed to get herself into the bathroom just as the strange feeling had begun.

Yet she wondered what she was doing here. She had a strange feeling it had nothing to do with the game, but with something else entirely. She knew she had been called here for a _reason,_ but she did not know _what_ reason that was.

Jessica figured she may as well check out her surroundings while she was there, seeing how she had nothing better to do. She took a short stroll around the room, observing the windows, which had the sea of kakera reflected within them. Yet they were not showing any particular glimpses for any particular world.

"Beautiful, aren't they?"

Jessica gasped and nearly jumped a foot in the air. She spun around to see Sento standing right behind her, looking up at the windows. "Of course, it would be more interesting to be able to see the worlds reflected within them," he said, "but that would be for another time."

"What are you doing here?" said Jessica sharply, reaching for her brass knuckles up her sleeve. "Did you call me here?"

"Indeed I did," said Sento, "Oh, and by the way, do_ these_ belong to you by any chance?"

He laid out his palm flat and a burst of gold revealed the very same pair of brass knuckles that Jessica had realized she was missing just a second before they appeared in his hand. Jessica could only sputter, "But—how—how did—"

"Magic, my dear sister," said Sento coolly. He chuckled, "Of course, if my brother were here, he'd be stuck for the next century trying to come up with a perfectly reasonable trick behind it. By the time he'd be let go, his child would've already gone on to have great-great-great grandchildren!"

He thought this joke was funny and laughed. Jessica rolled her eyes and snatched her brass knuckles out of his hand. She slipped them onto her fingers and said warningly, "If you're going to try anything right now..."

"I ask for nothing but your company for a few minutes, that's all," shrugged Sento, beginning to pace across the room towards a couch suited for two. He took a seat and said, "Care to join? If I do anything to harm you or your family, feel free to knock me senseless with those brass knuckles of yours."

Jessica silently moved over to the couch, but only stood above it, deciding to wait for a bit to see if he was going to pull anything up his sleeve.

"About your family," spoke Sento, causing Jessica to tense up. She relaxed when he said, "Tell me all about them."

Jessica looked at him curiously. "What, and why, do you want to know about my family?" she said.

"Dear sister, they're _our_ family," said Sento, leaning back and crossing his feet, folding both arms behind his head, "For that reason, I wish to know more about them. It doesn't have to be anything in particular—of course, you would be wise to avoid discussing their weaknesses; just give me a general overview of them."

Seeing Sento act so calm like this, acting as though they were not playing a vicious game, and were just simply two strangers who had met by chance and getting caught up with each other over a cup of coffee, somehow scared Jessica. Was he up to something? Was he trying to relax her so he could trick her into confessing a weakness of one of the family? Or did he simply want to know about the family he was born into but never knew?

His expression on his face did nothing to sway Jessica towards the former or the latter. He simply looked calm and relaxed.

For the moment, she was going to assume the former, and be careful with describing the family. Jessica said, "Well...there's Maria, my nine-year-old cousin; she has a fascination for witchcraft and anything to do with the, um..."

"The occult, you mean?" finished Sento.

"Yes, the occult," said Jessica uneasily, wondering if she was giving too much away, "Her mother, Rosa—my aunt—is somewhat temperamental but otherwise a nice person..."

"Does she care for her daughter?" said Sento. "From what I've heard, she can be a tad harsh, perhaps even bordering on...abusive."

Jessica came up with a quick come-back: "I think every parent cares for their child."

Sento scoffed, "Oh really? Then please, tell me what you think dear old _Rudolf's_ reasons were for handing me over to our mother, refusing to acknowledge me as his son to the point where he was all too compliant to agree to help cover up my existence. Do you think that's the act of a parent who "cares" for their child?"

Jessica decided to dance around the subject, even though she knew she wouldn't be able to forever: "What about Asumu? Don't you think of her as a mother?"

Sento's eyes rolled over to look elsewhere. "She's dead now," he said, "And I never even had the chance to know her. Natsuhi was the only mother I ever had...and yet, she tried to kill me." His eyes rolled back over to Jessica. "So no, I don't think parents exactly "care" for their children."

Jessica couldn't help but wonder how it felt to never know one's biological mother...to have a father who tried to pretend their child had never been born...to be adopted by a woman who could not handle the stigma of being unable to produce children and thus try to get rid of a living symbol of that stigma...

Then she told herself to snap out of it. Perhaps that was Sento's plan—to get her to feel sorry for him and thus be more open with him about hidden secrets. Then again, he hadn't exactly had the happiest life, so it wasn't like he was making it all up on the spot...

_Hey—this is the man who was willing to bet the life of an innocent BABY, _Jessica scolded herself, _And he threatened to place the life of your parents or Joshua in the wager unless you stepped up! You can't go soft on him now!_

Sento noticed the long silence and decided to break it: "Deep in thought? You look as though you're thinking about something, I can tell—the way your brow is furrowed, the way your eyes dart between me and the ground—it makes you look quite attractive." He smiled a smile that made Jessica feel uncomfortable, for it was one she could not tell was genuine, or just good acting. "You're a very pretty girl. No wonder that Yoshiya boy is crazy about you."

"You keep Yoshiya out of this!" said Jessica sharply, raising her fists.

Sento laughed, "Oh, relax; that boy is of no importance to me, though I can see he is important to you. Would you like it if he became part of the family?"

Jessica knew there was no use in hiding it; he already knew how she felt for Yoshiya, as he had known the exact person to offer in the bet to get her to change her mind. She sighed, "Yes. Maybe someday. Right now, though, my parents wouldn't exactly approve."

"Why not do it in secret?" said Sento, beginning to shuffle his feet so one was now on top of the other.

"Well...we're _sort of_ being affectionate in secret..." said Jessica slowly, trying to keep herself from revealing anymore about her relationship with Yoshiya than she already had.

"_How_ affectionate?" said Sento, who now uncrossed his feet, sat up straight, and let his arms rest by his side. "Kissing? Touching? Holding?..._Loving?"_

It was the way he had stressed the word "loving" that had caused Jessica to snap, "Of course not! We wouldn't have the time or place to—"

"Wait now," said Sento, raising a finger, "I only meant to say if the two of you are in love or not. Yet you started to way you wouldn't have the "time or place". What did you _think_ I was talking about?"

Jessica felt her entire face burn as Sento laughed, "I see I've got you there. I'm perfectly willing to believe you've never done anything of that sort from how quickly you answered. If you had hesitated, it would have told me that you were trying to think of the right thing to say to that."

"Well...how do you know it wouldn't be the opposite?" said Jessica, hoping to be able to turn the tables on Sento. "If I were quick to deny it, it could just simply mean I...that I..."

Sento slowly stood up and took a few steps toward Jessica, causing her to take a step back. "I get the gist of it," he said calmly, "And it could run either way. In any event, I believe you when you say nothing happened...yet."

He raised his eyebrows on the word yet, and took another step closer, causing her to take one step back. Hoping to hold Sento off until she could figure out how to get out of here, Jessica said, "About Uncle Rudolf...if I were to try to guess his reasons for abandoning you—I mean, no, that's not what I meant, uh—his reasons for giving you away—I'd think that maybe he just didn't want Aunt Kyrie to raise a baby alone because he had already married Asumu, who found out she was pregnant first, and...um..."

"First come, first serve," said Sento harshly as he took another step forward and Jessica took a step back, "If he had to go to court to pay child support for two women, he should've accepted it. If he had to abandon Kyrie, so be it. She's a perfectly smart, resourceful woman; she'd be capable of raising a baby by herself."

He noticed Jessica's pattern of taking a step back every time he stepped forward. Grinning, he took a bigger step forward closer to her, which caused her to try to scuttle backwards, but it was hard to think straight when one was panicking as hard as Jessica was.

_Stay calm,_ Jessica repeated inside her head, _if you panic any further than this you just might have an asthma attack, so stay calm..._

She had been so focused on taking a step away from Sento that she hadn't realized she was about to back up right into the table; she felt a slight bump from behind and tripped backwards over her ankles, grabbing onto the nearest person for support—in this case, that person was Sento.

It took Jessica about five seconds to realize she had fallen flat on her back—and that Sento was lying right on top of her, his face barely inches away from hers, their eyes locked.

For a minute, neither dared to make a move. Then, Sento smirked and pushed himself off of Jessica and got up to his feet, giving Jessica room to also stand up. "My, wasn't _that_ cozy," he remarked.

Jessica shuddered at how close they had gotten, which caused Sento's smirk to widen. "J—just get whatever it is you want over with already," she muttered, wondering if he had somehow arranged for _that_ awkward set-up on purpose. At this point, she wouldn't put it past him.

Sento's smirk faded and his expression grew serious. "I have just one more question for you, and then I'll let you go," he said. He hesitated before saying, "How does it feel to have a family...that loves you?"

Jessica was taken aback by Sento's question. It sounded neither sinister nor sentimental. It just sounded...serious. She said, "It feels like...like you have the entire world by your side even when no one else is. Is that all you wanted to know?"

Sento turned away from her. "Yes," he said, "that is all."

And with that, Jessica was pulled back to the real world, left to wonder what to make of her encounter.


	15. Chapter 15

15

It was the night before Christmas, a holiday which the Ushiromiya family didn't really celebrate, but decided to make an exception for just this one year, seeing how they would be stuck a while longer and may as well use that time to bond with one another. They had some knowledge of the holiday (such as the birth of Jesus Christ), but knew enough to know that even if one did not believe in the religious context behind it, that as long as there was love in the family it could still be held close to one's heart.

And it was on this night that Battler accompanied Jessica on her next round, unknowing of the sadistic deal.

* * *

Lambdadelta and Sento had been under the impression that all the help Jessica would need had already been summoned, and she wouldn't drag anyone else into it. Naturally, they were surprised when Jessica showed up with not only Beato, Ronove, and Virgilia by her side, but _also_ with a determined-looking Battler.

"What, are you trying to turn this into a _party_ or something?" giggled Lambdadelta, who found the extra help more than amusing.

"Eh, might as well make it fun while it lasts," shrugged Jessica.

Sento took a step forward. "So we meet at last, my dear _brother."_

Battler also stepped forward. "You must be Sento. Jessica told me a bit about you. Apparently, you're the baby from nineteen years ago?"

Sento nodded. "Yes, that's me. I'm the one whom you dismissed as a 'red herring'. In other words, that I am irrelevant to the issues of the Ushiromiya family at hand."

"Well, by 'red herring', I only meant you had nothing to do with the mystery," said Battler quickly, "I simply suggested that your disappearance was a false lead, and that the motive for the murders had to do with something else."

"But in terms of family conflict," spoke Sento, "do you think I am _totally_ irrelevant? Do you think I am not related to the guilt my mother suffers...or to the wonderful little life you have been leading since you were born? Had it not been for our father handing me over to our grandfather, your life would've turned out _very_ different. Perhaps you wouldn't even be here now, expecting your first child."

Battler detected an odd tone off of Sento's short speech—it was a mixture of arrogance and resentment. "Yes," he said, "Perhaps you _are_ related to this right now."

"_Good for you,"_ said Sento in "Engrish" before saying, "Your child for certain is related to this."

Jessica held her breath. She had known this was coming all along, and she wouldn't put it past Sento to somehow twist it around to make it sound like the wager had been _her_ idea.

"What are you talking about?" said Battler suspiciously.

Beato slipped her hand into Battler's and squeezed it. "Battler," she said quietly, "I am so sorry."

"There's no need for you to apologize, Beato," said Sento, his signature smirk creeping across his face, "After all, you weren't the one who bet the life of your and Battler's child."

Battler let go of Beato's hand. "What did you say?" he said, his voice edging on a disbelieving darkness, as though he had been hoping Sento's words did not mean what he thought they did.

Sento put on a mask of surprise, even though he had known Jessica had left that one, little detail out. "Oh, you don't _know?"_ he said. "Jessica and I made a little...proposal...and we came to the agreement that if she were to ever lose just two rounds, then Beato would lose the baby."

He let out a bored sigh, concealing his satisfaction to see Battler trembling and clenching his fists, his eyes nearly bulging, "It is a somewhat _savage_ agreement, I admit, but Jessica agreed it would be for the best. She just _couldn't _say no."

Jessica gave Sento an angry glare before whipping around to Battler. "Battler, I—"

Then, she suddenly felt a pair of hands grab her by the shoulders and _slam_ her against the windows. She realized the pair of hands belonged to a furious-looking Battler, whom Ronove and Virgilia were trying to restrain.

"_What have you done?"_ Battler screamed, stinging tears of anger welling up in his eyes. "All my hard effort—all my _promises_—are to be for _nothing?"_

"Battler-sama, you _must_ calm yourself," said Ronove urgently, yanking Battler's hands off her shoulders.

"You must realize this was not Jessica's fault," said Virgilia calmly, helping Ronove in dragging Battler away from Jessica, "She was left no other choice; it was either the baby, her parents, or—"

"Then she should've taken up a different offer," said Battler coldly, giving Jessica an unforgiving glare.

Beato spoke: "Battler...I know you're angry, but..." She looked over at Jessica, "I know Jessica has the strength to win this game, and our child will come out of this just fine."

Jessica steadied herself to walk back over to the group, hoping that Beato's message was a sign of forgiveness.

"Ah, yes, I _did_ forget to mention that the child being part of the wager was _my_ idea to begin with," said Sento in a tone suggesting he hadn't _really_ forgotten it, "It's a shame you didn't stop to let me rack through my memory, Battler. It sure seems to be a subject that's rather _touchy,_ isn't it?"

Now, Battler directed his rage at Sento; he began to lunge forward, but was once again held back by Ronove and Virgilia, shrieking, _"I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"_

"Is that a _threat?"_ laughed Sento. "Haven't you made the threat to kill others before? In _red,_ nonetheless? And don't you remember what happened when you proceeded to try your very best _on_ that threat? And you delivered that threat to your _beloved_ Beatrice, nonetheless."

Battler clenched his fists and seethed in rage, when Beato gently placed one hand on his shoulder and said, "Battler, this is Jessica's battle now, not yours."

At this, Battler relaxed by a little bit, though he still had the urge to strangle the smug bastard just standing a few feet in front of him. Ronove and Virgilia led him over to a nearby chair and sat him down in it.

Jessica stepped forward. "Indeed," she said, "Let the next round begin."

Sento spoke: **"In the last game, you said I might have been found by Ushiromiya Krauss first.** Which begs the question: How did he manage to keep my existence hidden from everyone?"

Jessica remembered in the last round that it had already been said in red that Kinzo did not know the baby had still been alive, nor was Dr. Nanjo on the island. She said, _"It is possible that Krauss hid you somewhere in the mansion, and had another servant help him take care of the baby in secret until he figured out what to do with it."_

"**Krauss was the only one on the island to know I was still alive,"** spoke Sento, "Furthermore, **it would not have been possible for him to keep a baby inside the mansion without anyone else noticing."**

"Then...what about Kuwadorian?" suggested Jessica. _"Krauss might've hid the baby somewhere in Kuwadorian."_

"Leaving _whom_ exactly to take care of my needs?" said Sento. "And please, don't try to justify it by claiming Krauss snuck over every few minutes or hours—**someone would've noticed Krauss' suspicious absences."**

"The—the chapel!" burst out Jessica. It was pure desperation on her part, but it had to be better than _nothing,_ right?

"What about the chapel?" said an amused Sento. "You honestly don't expect me to believe Krauss hid the baby under the chapel benches, do you? That no one would've heard my cries?"

Jessica was struggling. Her mind was struggling to think up a quick solution, but because she was so determined to _not_ mess this up, considering what was at stake, she began to struggle.

"I—um, the—the basement!" she burst out. "Of the mansion! No...wait...ah..."

Her surroundings began to grow dark and Jessica felt her knees turn to jelly, her breathing growing short. She was getting dizzy, thinking, _Damn it, I KNOW there's a solution to this; why can't I think straight about it?_

"Feeling _lost,_ dear _sister?"_ spoke Sento's mocking voice in the darkness. "You have exactly one minute to come up with a halfway-decent solution, or else this baby's chances of living to birth will decrease significantly."

_Ah...damn...it..._ thought Jessica, squeezing her eyes shut, _Why can't I think of anything?_

It was all over...

* * *

"_WAIT!"_

Until a sudden flash of blue caused Jessica's eyes to spring open, and her to jump to her feet. She was back in the meta-world and Battler was speaking: "The guest house! What about the guest house? _The child might've been hidden somewhere in the guest house, in a spot where the servants would be unable to locate it by accident that only Krauss could know about!"_

"Excuse me, when did I say _you_ could jump in?" said Sento snottily.

Battler pointed his index finger at Sento and said dramatically, **"It was never outright prohibited from spectators helping Jessica! Furthermore, Jessica has received help in the past and there have been no objections to it!** Can't fight back? This is _CHECKMAAATE!"_

Sento let out a cry when a blue web shot out and pinned him to the walls just fifteen feet off the ground. He struggled to get out, like a fly caught in a spider's web, but the truth prevented him from breaking free.

Lambdadelta laughed, "I like where this is going already. Bring it on!"

Beato spoke:

"_Krauss, as part of his training to become the next head, could've prohibited the servants from going anywhere near the guest house! Then, he could've hidden the baby in a room where any passing servants would be least likely to find it!"_

Another blue web shot out and pinned Sento's legs. The more he struggled, the less dignified he looked, and it was easy to tell he did not like this one bit.

Beato's eyes and smile widened at the sight of the man who had gambled the life of her child now struggling in his own trap and she cackled, "Problem, Ushiromiya _Seeeennntooo?_ Don't you find it _comfy_ up there? A-ha-ha-ha-ha! **Kiyahahaha!"**

"Does she have to laugh in _red?"_ grumbled Sento.

Jessica felt herself slowly regain her breath. Yes...she could do this...with help...she could get through this...

Ronove took his turn to speak: _"The child could've been hidden in one of the bathrooms in one of the rooms towards the back of the house. He could've easily been kept hidden in a bathtub behind a shower curtain. Krauss could've snuck out everyday with formula from the kitchen, and cloths to use as diapers, to provide the baby with his needs until he could figure out an acceptable solution."_

Another blue web sprung out and pinned one of Sento's arms. Lambdadelta herself had to laugh at the sight: "Furniture sure are _interesting,_ don't you think so Sento? A-ha-ha-ha!"

Sento resisted the urge to glare at his master. He could only dream of the punishment he would receive for daring to speak out against her.

And now, it was Virgilia's turn:

"_Krauss could've gotten away with the excuse to hide the baby that he was still mourning over the loss of his adopted child and desired some time alone, away from the rest of the household. Because _**Natsuhi was ridden with grief,** _neither she nor anyone else would've suspected Krauss' prolonged absence. Eventually, he may have realized he could not keep this up forever, and, in secret, contacted an orphanage to arrive on the island in secret."_

This time, the blue web plastered Sento's other arm. He glared steadily at Jessica, who was now back on her feet, and was more than happy to announce:

"_After a week of hiding you, Krauss may have contacted an orphanage—not Kinzo's on the off chance Kinzo may find out—and sent you there. The owner of said orphanage could've been brought to the island on a day supplies were dropped off at the house, and Krauss could've bundled you up in a blanket so that no one could see your face, and handed you over to the owner. _And that explains how you could've been hidden _and_ how you could've gotten off the island!"

It was this final blow that caused the flying blue web to attach itself to Sento's face. Jessica couldn't help but smile at the sight of this arrogant young man now strung up the way he was. And she made sure to smile every time his eyes met hers.

"L—Lambdadelta-sama," groaned Sento, who could no longer struggle, "Please—get me down from here!"

"Ah, ah, ah," said Lambdadelta, wagging a finger, "The only way you can come down from there is for you to acknowledge the blue truths by Jessica and her team. Of course, you can still declare her the loser for needing so much _help,_ but then that would mean you'd be stuck up there for the rest of the game, or at least, until the next round, now _wouldn't _it? **Hee-hee-hee-hee!"**

"Again with the red," mused Jessica. "Beato? What does it mean when witches laugh with the red?"

"Oh, whenever _that_ happens, it's usually another way for witches to call someone incompetent without naming any names," said a smiling Beato.

Jessica heard Sento sneer. She called out to him, "What's wrong, brother? Don't you _like_ hanging up there? Wouldn't you rather refuse to call this a true victory and stay a bit longer, hanging for me to see the next time I come here?"

Sento snarled, _"Fine._ I'll do it." He looked away, his face burning with humiliation, and said, **"I acknowledge all truths."**

Each piece of web came undone, allowing Sento to move more freely about. Unfortunately for him, the removal of the webs injured his dignity even further, for it caused him to fall from his height and land _smack_ on his rear.

"Pukuku, that particular injury looks most unpleasant," chuckled Ronove.

"I'm afraid I cannot take much pleasure in this, however tempting it may be," sighed Virgilia, recalling the various incidents with dear old Gaap...

"_How nice of you,"_ muttered Sento, wincing and standing up to his feet, "You all may go." His glare switched over to Jessica, "But rest assured, dear sister, I _will _have my revenge for this humiliation!"

"I wouldn't expect anything less of you..._Sento-kun,"_ said Jessica teasingly, before disappearing with the others.

Sento seethed as he sat down in his seat, rubbing his sore behind as Lambdadelta laughed, "Ha-ha-ha-ha! This just gets more and more interesting! Just wait till Bern hears about this! Ha-ha-ha!"

Sento sighed and muttered, "It's too bad my sister must be so smart and attractive, or else I might just hate her for that last swipe at my dignity, and possibly even reveal our _real_ plan for when this game is over."

"Aw, but if we do that too early, then it'll be no fun at all to watch the look on her face when we _do_ tell her!" said Lambdadelta playfully.

"True, that," muttered Sento, who couldn't help but utter a sarcastic:

"Merry Christmas, dear sister."


	16. Chapter 16

16

Beato woke up in bed next to Battler the following morning with a smile. "It's Christmas," she muttered, remembering how it was the one day of the year where she actually _enjoyed_ getting up early. She remembered leaping out of bed and rushing downstairs to see what Santa Clause had brought her last night.

Then, of course, he stopped coming after she was twelve; by then, she felt she had outgrown such childish superstitions. Yet she never quite gave up the notion of witchcraft even now...

She felt a pair of lips lightly press against the back of her neck and a voice whispering in her ear, "Merry Christmas, wife."

"Merry Christmas, husband," Beato whispered. She sat up next to Battler and they kissed. They had chosen to spend the night in their own bedroom...the very same room where it all began...

Their lips parted and Battler said with a flirtatious grin, "How about I give you _my_ present right now, ihihi?"

"Ah, but we need to get the wrapping off first," said Beato, also grinning. She playfully kissed Battler on the cheek before giving him a deep, serious kiss on the mouth, lightly running her fingers over the buttons on his pyjama top, undoing each button one at a time. She felt one of Battler's hands begin to slide further down along her front, presumably until he reached the hem of her nightgown.

Then, he suddenly stopped and parted his lips from hers. His hand lay on her stomach, which had grown progressively round over the past few weeks. "Do you think the baby will be happy to have _us_ as its parents?"

"Muu, I don't know, maybe," muttered Beato, remembering how Battler had learned of the deal last night, and his violent reaction.

Battler drew his hand away and sighed, "That's right—we're assuming that this baby will even be _born."_ He shook his head. "How could Jessica _agree_ to such a deal like that? I know she'll probably be able to make it through this...but our own _child..."_

"Sento was the one who made the deal in the first place, remember?" pointed out Beato.

Battler clenched his fist. "Sento," he muttered, "The _bastard."_ He paused. "Beato...from now on, I don't want you going _anywhere_ alone without my consent, okay?"

"You mean outside?" said Beato, who thought they had been over this already.

"I mean _anywhere,"_ said Battler with a gesture of his hands, "I don't want you going to the dining room without me, or to the parlour, or to the guest house, or _anywhere_ unless I am with you at all times. And if you feel the need to go somewhere alone, you can only ask for _my_ permission, okay?"

There was something about this that made Beato feel uncomfortable. It almost sounded like Battler wanted to somehow _control_ every move she made, even if it was in her best interest.

Or _was_ it in her best interest...?

"But why?" asked Beato. "I don't think I'd be in danger anywhere else..."

"But that's not the _point,"_ argued Battler, "What if Jessica decides to go without us, loses, and then you get into some sort of accident where you lose the baby?"

Beato supposed this made _some_ sense to a _certain_ degree. She decided she would accept it until she could come up with a more reasonable compromise.

"All right then," sighed Beato, "Right now, how about we get up and get dressed for breakfast? I hear Gohda might be making French toast."

Battler grinned, "Well, you know what they say: You can never go wrong with French toast!"

* * *

As it turned out, there was indeed hot, buttery French toast being served for breakfast. The only one not eating French toast, however, was Beato, who had just realized it was one of the foods she could not eat due to the off chance of the raw eggs used in making it being harmful to the little one. She was slightly disappointed, but willing to compensate with a simple plate of toast with butter lightly spread across it.

"Uu, merry Christmas, Beato!" said Maria, who sat across the table from Battler and Beato. "Are you still feeling sick?"

"A little bit, but not as bad as last month," said Beato, who nibbled at the edges of her toast. Eating in small bites helped with the nausea, which was all she had to endure in terms of morning sickness ever since a few days ago. She hoped to eventually be rid of it all together.

"Uu, can Maria give her gift now, mama?" Maria asked Rosa.

"After you finish eating, Maria," said Rosa.

What Rosa didn't count on was Maria's fast-eating abilities; she had forgotten Maria's tendency to finish her meal quick. Within a minute, Maria's plate was completely empty. She pushed her chair back and ran over to the pile of presents in a corner of the dining room, which lay underneath a small tree Genji and Krauss had managed to cut down together and bring indoors. They had agreed it would be less work to find a relatively small tree than it would to find a big one just for the sake of putting as many decorations on it as possible.

Maria picked up a small green box with a red ribbon around it and ran over to Beato. Beato had managed to slowly finished her first piece of toast by this point, so she accepted Maria's present with a smile and said, "I wonder what sort of present lies inside this box."

"Go on and open, uu!" encouraged Maria.

Beato plucked the ribbon off and lifted up the lid. She slowly picked up the item inside the box—it was a mobile made out of cardboard with small little painted lion heads hanging on each end.

"I helped Maria put it together," spoke Rosa, "But it was all her idea. She wanted you to have something to give to the baby."

Maria beamed proudly and Beato said, "Thank you, Maria. I am sure the baby will appreciate it very much."

It was then that Rudolf spoke: "Yes, Maria, thank you _very_ much for _rewarding_ irresponsible behaviour."

The look of pride on Maria's face dashed. Angry at Rudolf for ruining a little girl's happiness, Battler said, "Now dad, Maria only had good intentions in mind."

"Even so," Rudolf began, but Kyrie placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "Rudolf, please. Not now. Not on this special day."

"Uu," said Maria sadly, feeling as though she had been told that her gift was nothing more than paint on wood.

Battler gently took the mobile out of Beato's hands and said, "Say, Maria, were the lions your idea?"

Maria nodded. "Uu, they're supposed to look like...this one toy Maria used to own, but..."

"These lions are pretty neat," commented Battler, holding the mobile up, "I think the baby will love them. And it saves me and Beato a lot of money, ihihi!"

Maria smiled a tiny smile. Ange said, "Yeah, Maria, I wish I thought of that! All I made them was—" She covered up her mouth. "Oops."

"We'll look at the rest of the presents after breakfast, how's that?" said Kyrie.

Battler and Beato nodded in agreement while Rudolf just ate the rest of his breakfast in silence.

* * *

After breakfast, everyone met up in the parlour to exchange and discuss their gifts. They temporarily put Beato's pregnancy behind them...until the gifts made by Ange, and George and Shannon, were given. Ange, with Kumasawa's help, had knit a yellow hat for the baby to wear during the windy weather. George and Shannon had together made a tiny stuffed elephant.

It was supposed to be a nice, relaxing occasion for Battler and Beato, but the atmosphere was tense for two reasons. First, because Rudolf, having been told not to speak out about anymore presents related to the baby that the couple may receive, stood silently sipping his morning coffee, not looking over in Battler's direction. Second, because, apart from Jessica, Genji, and Kumasawa, they knew there was a chance the baby might not even get a chance to experience such wonderful gifts.

Eventually, Krauss took notice of the tension and took Battler just outside the parlour and a few feet down the hall to talk for a minute.

"Enjoying the holiday so far?" Krauss began.

"Seeing how the storm has been keeping us trapped here, I'd say we're pretty much _having_ a holiday anyway, ihihi!" joked Battler.

"I take it, then, that your father's rude little comment from this morning won't be enough to ruin your entire holiday?" said Krauss.

Battler sighed, "After a while, his comments start to get redundant. I'm nothing _but_ irresponsible in his eyes."

Krauss looked over his shoulder to make sure Rudolf would not be coming out at any moment before turning back to Battler. "You may have heard the same thing over and over about how your father wanted you to have a chance at a good future," he said, "but have you ever heard that your grandfather held a similar attitude towards him for getting two women pregnant, and not finding out until after he already married the first one to realize it?"

Battler shook his head, now curious. He had already figured Kinzo probably hadn't approved of Rudolf's situation; now, he wanted to hear the details.

"It was a few weeks after Asumu had been hurried into the family registry," said Krauss, seeming all too eager to reveal his brother's embarrassment, "Your father paid your grandfather a little visit. At first, I was only aware that he had stopped by to discuss _something_ with him, but I did not know _what._ Natsuhi wasn't feeling well, and we were hoping she was having morning sickness, which would mean she was pregnant—and of course, she wasn't; she was just having the flu. She wanted me to go tell your grandfather about it while Dr. Nanjo examined her.

"Well...when I stopped by his study, I heard voices. Deciding not to interrupt the conversation, I began to take off, when I realized it was your father speaking. I was curious," (or, eager to find see the old bastard screw himself over, thought Battler dryly), "so I lingered behind to listen. Your father has already told me that he will not be providing you and Beato with financial support...well, guess what he was doing? Not only was he explaining how he had gotten two of his lovers pregnant and only married one before finding out about the other, but he was also _begging_ your grandfather to help with child support for _both_ women."

Battler wasn't sure whether to be outraged with his father's hypocrisy—after all, Battler himself had never asked for financial support, nor had he ever begged for his parents to change their minds—or to feel pity for him; it was hard enough for Battler to figure out how he was going to handle _one_ baby with _one_ woman, never mind _two!_

"As you could probably imagine," said Krauss, "your grandfather was absolutely _furious_ at your father; not only for impregnating two women, leaving one to give birth to an illegitimate heir that would do horrors to the family name, but also for daring to ask him for child support. He told him—no, I think _screamed_ would be more appropriate—that both children were _his_ responsibility alone, therefore he should rely on _himself_ to provide for two children. Your father tried to explain how he couldn't afford to support one woman and pay child support for another, but your grandfather told him he should've thought about that before getting caught up with two women. At that point, the conversation ended, and I pretended to have just walked by."

Battler's contradictory emotions were stirring up even more so now, yet he also gained a sense of understanding from it. "I see," he said, "So my dad doesn't want to spoil me by giving me what grandfather refused to give him, is that right?"

Krauss nodded. "Exactly."

"But I never asked for any child support from him, and accepted it when he refused to give any," said Battler, "So..." He let out a sigh of frustration, "I still wish he'd be more understanding and supportive of this."

"There is no reason for him to be," said Krauss matter-of-factly, "I'd take on a similar attitude myself if Jessica were to be the one to have a baby while she is still young and in school. Learning responsibility, and how to manage it wisely, is part of the training to become the next Ushiromiya head. This may seem unfair to you now, but one day you will understand this better."

A sudden thought struck Battler—_I wonder if Uncle Krauss knows anything about Sento?_

"Say, Uncle Krauss," said Battler, "I know you don't remember me declaring I knew any of this, but...I know about how you and Aunt Natsuhi took in that baby from nineteen years ago. I also know that I was really born to Kyrie, and that the baby you and Aunt Natsuhi received was born to Asumu. Am I correct?"

A stunned Krauss said, "Yes...yes, that's...true..."

Battler wondered if the subject matter would be too personal, but he pressed on anyway: "So how did that happen anyway, huh? Were you or grandfather at the hospital that day? Was there already some sort of pre-arranged plan surrounding it?"

Krauss closed his eyes in thought for about a minute or two before opening them and saying, "There was this one day in spring, just around three or four months before you were born...your father came back for another visit. He was beginning to crumble from the stress of finding a way to keep both Asumu and Kyrie happy. Meanwhile, Natsuhi was an emotional wreck because we were still trying for a baby, but she refused to have any potential infertility confirmed. I was beginning to consider the possibility of adoption, but I knew Natsuhi would hate it.

"So on that spring day, I decided to attend your father's meeting with your grandfather. Then, as an act of pure desperation on your father's part in my opinion, he suddenly asked if Natsuhi and I were still having trouble conceiving. I answered yes, and I could already see where this was going, and it went there—your father suggested that Natsuhi and I take in his child with Asumu, and he would take his child with Kyrie and present that one to Asumu as their child. I agreed to it, but reluctantly—his plan depended _entirely_ on the chance of Asumu and Kyrie giving birth on the same day. He claimed everything would work out, as the two women's due dates both fell on the exact same day, but I knew better than to get my hopes up."

"I see," mused Battler, "It would have to be a miracle as rare as finding a lost marble on a beach."

"Exactly," nodded Krauss, "It would have to have been an extraordinarily _rare_ miracle, and I knew better than to count on it. And then along came that faithful day...July fifteenth, 1967. I expected nothing to happen, so you can probably imagine my great surprise for your grandfather to receive a phone call saying that both babies had been born safe and healthy, and he had already managed to take his son with Asumu to the orphanage, where he would be waiting in a specially marked crib. He gave him a unique name to make sure no one else would mistake him with anyone else."

"Battler," finished Battler, "So then what was the deal with me getting _that_ name too, huh?"

Krauss shrugged. "Don't ask me of your father's logic. In any event, he had been very, very careful to make sure the baby did not get mixed up with anyone else's. He had told Asumu he was going home to prepare for her coming home from the hospital...when in truth, he had gone off to the orphanage and stayed by the newborn's side right up until your grandfather picked him up in the evening."

"Interesting, very interesting," muttered Battler, "Anything else strange about this kid?"

Krauss looked uncomfortable at this point. "Well," he said slowly, "Natsuhi, as I had predicted, balked at the idea of having to resort to adoption. I tried to be there for her; I tried telling her there were plenty of children out there who needed good homes, and this one was lucky enough to be raised in a home such as this." He sighed and shook his head, "I only wish I could've spoken to her more..."

Battler knew he was better off not pressing any further into it; the only thing left to hear was that Natsuhi had eventually pushed the servant and the baby off the cliff. He said, "That's all I needed to know. Thank you for your time, Uncle Krauss."

* * *

Beato sat by herself in a corner while all the other adults chatted with one another, feeling uncomfortable and out-of-place. She felt as though she did not fit in with the others, that they all secretly looked down on her for her pregnancy.

Besides, she was beginning to feel tired...as per usual. She wanted to get up and go back to the guest house so she could sleep for a little bit—or at the very least, take a short nap in one of the nearby bedrooms. But she knew she had to wait for Battler to come back first, lest she endure another one of his lectures about he didn't want her to wander off alone, how he was concerned for her safety...

* * *

"_Concerned for your safety? What a load of bullshit!"_

_Once again, Beato had drifted off into sleep, and was once again having a conversation with her other self._

"_How much longer do you plan on living in denial?" said the other Beato in an almost furious tone._

"_I...I don't know what you mean," said Beato slowly._

"_That's EXACTLY what I'm talking about!" groaned the other Beato. "Haven't you noticed how increasingly "over-protective" Battler is becoming? First, he wouldn't let you go outside alone; now he refuses to let you go anywhere by yourself? How much longer will it be until he decides the only way he can keep you safe is to lock you up in Kuwadorian or somewhere in the guest house, and convince you there are untold dangers on the island?"_

"_Wait," said Beato sharply, "If you're saying Battler is anything like...like..."_

"_Like Kinzo?" finished the other Beato, folding her arms across her chest. "From what I understand, he was devastated when you died, did everything in his power to bring you back to life, and nearly went insane when you did come back and screamed about how you weren't the Beatrice he wanted. Now why does that sound familiar...?"_

"_He's gotten a lot better since then," said Beato quickly, "He's now more like the Battler I remember."_

"_At first, yes," nodded the other Beato, "but he's beginning to stoop further into what Kinzo eventually became."_

"_Well...maybe it isn't too late for that!" said Beato quickly. "Maybe I can somehow convince him that I'll be just fine with or without him! And besides...maybe his attitude is only temporary. Maybe he'll go back to being his old self after Jessica's game is over..."_

"_And if he doesn't?" said the other Beato._

_Beato looked away. "I'll cross that bridge if I ever have to come to it."_

* * *

Beato woke up to the sound of footsteps. She felt a weird sense of irony, for the two people to come walking back in were Krauss and Battler.

"There are you are!" said Rudolf, walking up to Krauss. "Where have you been?"

"Oh, Battler and I were just having a little talk," said Krauss nonchalantly, "Battler, why don't you go talk to your wife over there? She looks lonely."

Beato sat up a bit straighter as Battler walked over to her. She stood up and said, "So what were you and Krauss talking about?"

"Family matters," said Battler simply.

Beato hesitated before saying, "Battler...I know you're only trying to protect me, but...I don't think I need you go _everywhere_ with me. I'd be fine in, say, the bathroom, and all I would do in a bedroom would be to just sleep."

Battler paused before saying thoughtfully, "I guess I see what you mean. Maybe I'll only walk with you down halls, and let you be by yourself in bathrooms or bedrooms, maybe the dining room. How does that sound?"

Beato nodded. For now, until she had her feelings on this better sorted out, it would do.

* * *

In the meta-world, there stood one person. That person was Sento, who, out of curiosity, was watching over his family celebrating Christmas. He held no personal curiosity for the holiday itself, or for the meaning behind it. Rather, he wondered just what it was about any occasion, be it a holiday or a birthday, which brought the family closer together.

"How strange," he muttered, "I thought Shinto and Buddhism were the two leading religions in Japan, but I suppose there are some who _do _celebrate such a holiday, even if they themselves do not personally believe in it."

He noticed Jessica taking a brisk stroll down the hall before stopping at the sight of Yoshiya. As the two star-crossed lovers shared a brief kiss, he couldn't help but feel an urge to punch Yoshiya in the face. Hard.

"What business would lowly _furniture_ such as _him_ have with the likes of the daughter of the Ushiromiya head?" he scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

The scene continued to play itself out. The two teenagers stood awkwardly for nearly ten seconds before Yoshiya muttered something about having a present for Jessica. He pulled a small box from up his sleeve and handed it over to Jessica.

The gift nearly caught Sento by surprise; it was a paper red rose done in the origami style, small enough to, perhaps, hide in one's nightstand to look at before they went to sleep. Jessica smiled and hid the rose up her sleeve. She gave Yoshiya a quick peck on the cheek before running back to the parlour, where she was reunited with the family.

Sento observed the other members a bit closer. He saw Battler walking up to Rudolf with a small box in hand. The two men were avoiding eye contact, he noticed. There was still tension between them about the baby.

"If _I_ were kept around," spoke Sento, daring to use "ore-sama" for the first time, "I wouldn't have done anything to shame you. If you had _me _around, I would keep the one-winged eagle close to my heart." He scoffed, "But of course, you had to go for the more _incompetent_ choice, didn't you, _father?"_

Rudolf had just opened up the box and picked up the present within it: A tie that Battler had made out of spare scraps of left-over fabric lying around the house. It looked rather crude, but Rudolf simply said, "Thank you, son."

_Son..._hearing his father utter that word gave Sento a strange feeling in his throat. It felt like something was building up...what, he had no idea of.

Now, he watched Jessica walk up to Natsuhi, who was sitting down near the window, apparently suffering from yet another headache, seeing how she leaned forward with her head in one hand, gently rubbing the aching temple. It seemed to be a shame for one's medical condition to interfere in the festivities.

Sento didn't know why, but somehow, he felt drawn to the image of Jessica sitting next to her mother with a small package in hand, and so he walked a bit closer to one of the windows. As Jessica placed the package into her mother's hands, Sento saw a sudden image flash before his eyes...a small, red-headed boy presenting to his mother a crude drawing of himself and his family with the message "MERRY CHRISTMAS MOM" scrawled in messy English letters...his mother accepting it graciously and bending to give the boy a hug for the generous gift...

Then he realized that image did not exist. That memory never happened...it was just foolish wishing.

He felt a need to draw a breath, for he felt an odd, aching feeling in his chest. Now, Natsuhi was gently unwrapping the bow and setting it aside before opening up the box and gasping upon the sight of a beautiful necklace made out of the various seashells that could be found assorted on the beach during the rare, peaceful days.

"I...I sometimes collected seashells when the weather was sunnier," said Jessica, who looked slightly flustered as though hoping her mother approved of this humble gift, "I wasn't sure what to do with them until I heard about how we're going to have our own little celebration, and..."

Natsuhi smiled and pulled Jessica in for a hug. There was something about this sight that caused Sento to impulsively place his hand upon the glass...it was the image of a mother holding her child close...the mother that could've been holding _two_ children close...

"Mother," he managed to choke out. The lump in his throat constricted, making it hard for words to come out coherently. Furthermore, when he tried to breathe deep, he would make an odd, involuntary gasp at the back of his throat.

His eyes grew blurry, so he squeezed them shut. When he opened them, his cheeks were wet.

What if...it was the love that brought the family together...?

He took another shuddery breath and blinked, his cheeks growing wetter with each blink.

He realized with a start the name for the wetness on his cheeks:

_Tears._

Sento drew his hand away as though he had touched something disgusting and backed off by a few feet. _I should've never come here,_ he thought. He took in the beautiful sight one last time before leaving behind the image of what he never knew.


	17. Chapter 17

17

The Christmas festivities came and went all too quickly, and 1986 changed into 1987. Soon, everyone was back to their regular routine—that is to say, they went back to waiting with anxiousness for the raging storm to clear up. Jessica went back to waiting for her next round of fighting to begin. Battler went back to waiting to see if he was truly cut out for fatherhood.

* * *

"Hic!...WAAAaaaAAAhhhHHH..."

The baby!

Battler dashed down a long, dark corridor. The baby was crying, and he was the only one who could take care of it!

"Where oh where is Beato when you need her?" he muttered.

He suddenly stopped and noticed Beato, who was curled up in a corner and sobbing, "I—I—I can't—can't do this anymore!"

Battler reached out to touch her, to comfort her and tell her this would be all right, but his hand passed right through her as though she were just a ghost...an apparition...

"wwwwAAAAaaaaHHhhh..."

Battler started off like a deer towards the sound once again, hoping he wasn't too late, praying he wasn't too late...

"You'll never get there in time," spoke Rudolf's taunting voice, "You're an incompetent, irresponsible, stupid teenager who will make a terrible father; how can you ever think you'll make it?"

"I—I can!" breathed Battler, though it seemed that the faster he pushed himself, the farther away the door seemed.

He was stopped dead in his tracks by a giant, oddly purple, angry-looking Kinzo who bellowed, "HOW DAAARRRE YOU STEAL MY BELOVED BEATORIIICHEEE!"

Kinzo let out a monstrous laugh and Battler felt himself fall faster and faster, right into a pit of goats. As the goats began to pick at Battler's flesh, he could hear Kinzo sing: "Tear up the darkness OH DESIAH!"

* * *

Battler gasped and his eyelids sprang open. He lay in bed panting and sweating, chilled to think about how that dream was so surreal...it almost _felt_ real.

"Onii-chan? Were you having a bad dream?"

Ange was sitting just next to Battler on the bed in the cousins' room. Battler slowly sat up and nodded, "Yes, Ange, I was just having a very bad dream. But I'm glad to be awake now."

Ange then delivered the words that made Battler wish he were still in his dreams:

"Dad and mom said they wanted to talk to you and Beato for a minute. They're waiting for you downstairs."

* * *

Battler did not know what to expect upon meeting up with his parents and wife. He had expected to hear yet another lecture about his incompetence and irresponsibility, and so he braced himself. He had no witty comeback at the top of his head, but he did resolve to simply be silent and still while listening to his latest criticism.

What he did _not_ expect was to see his parents each holding a sack of flour in their laps.

"This," spoke Rudolf, "is your baby."

Battler and Beato blinked, as though expecting him to say more.

Kyrie decided to explain it: "Rudolf and I have gotten to talking, and we have decided that instead of lecturing you about how hard parenthood is, we'd actually let you experience it yourselves. We borrowed two sacks of flour, emptied them by three quarters, and have stuffed a small tape recorder inside both of them, which is playing right now. They will have intervals of silence, but at one point or another, they will start to play the sound of a baby crying that will run for approximately five minutes. For the rest of the morning, you will be expected to care for these sacks as those they were your child. You are to stay with them at all times in case they cry, and when they do, you are expected to rock them until they stop crying. Sometimes, there will be nights where nothing you do will calm the baby down and all you can do is sit with them until they fall back asleep."

"Like if it gets colic?" spoke Battler, who already did not look forward to this 'test' at all.

"Exactly," said Kyrie, "Rudolf and I will each supervise you today; however, we plan on carrying this experiment through for approximately three days. For the other two days, you two will be alone."

Battler started to protest, but Rudolf said, "If you think the only purpose Kyrie and I serve is to be your free baby-sitting service, forget about it."

Kyrie added, "We understand there will sometimes be days where you and Beato will either be too busy, or completely overwhelmed, and you will need our help_ occasionally. _But you can't rely on us alone to help with the baby."

"I...I understand," said Battler meekly. Beato had stayed quiet during all this, a method she was fond of using during talks like this; she found that the less you spoke, the less likely people were to yell at you.

"And you don't have a problem with this, Beato?" said Kyrie.

Beato shook her head. In truth, she had her doubts about how long she'd be able to stand listening to a baby cry, but told herself it would be no worse than listening to a siren wail.

* * *

It was determined that Rudolf would go with Battler, and Kyrie with Beato. Battler had just gotten out of the bathroom in the cousins' room holding the sack as though it were a baby with its head over his shoulder, having gotten dressed for the day, when his 'baby' started crying.

Battler gave his father a look that said "Watch me while I prove I can do this" and moved his gaze to the sack and softly whispered, "Shh, shh, it's okay, daddy's here."

"_Dad,"_ groaned Ange, who was covering her ears up with a pillow on the bed, "what is onii-chan _doing?_ Where is that _crying_ coming from?"

"Battler is doing a little 'experiment'," Rudolf called out over the noise, "And you'll just have to get used to this sound now, Ange, because you'll be hearing that sound for the next two and a half years."

Battler could tell this statement had been partially aimed at him. He gently bounced the sack on his arm, whistling the first tune that came to mind.

"Ange," said George, "how about we go elsewhere to play right now?"

Ange nodded fervently and skipped out of the room, George following with a brisk walk after her. He gave Battler an encouraging smile before leaving the two men and the 'baby'.

Battler walked around the room while holding the wailing sack. The crying was beginning to grate his nerves, but he told himself to be strong and not break down, _especially_ not in front of his father.

_I'll prove him wrong,_ thought Battler, trying his best to block the wailing out of his head, _I'll prove to the old bastard that I can handle this just fine! I'll show him what I'm capable of!_

However, he had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed he was about to walk right into a particularly sharp corner in the wall until he felt a small _bump_ accompanied by a brief yet searing pain in his elbow—the elbow belonging to the arm where he was holding the 'baby'.

Battler let out a cry and the sack slipped further down. He quickly reached out to grab it, but then bumped his elbow yet _again,_ and the sack fell to the floor, still wailing.

Battler hissed from the brief pain and bent down to pick the sack up, almost certain he could hear his father stifling a laugh. He cradled the sack in his arms and stood back up, this time walking over to the bed. No sooner had he sat down than the sack had begun to slip out of his arms. He grabbed it and decided to resolve the issue by lightly bouncing it on his knee.

He bounced a little _too_ hard, however, for the sack leaned over on one side and fell to the ground. Battler grumbled and bent over to pick it up, ignoring his father's comment: "I assume you'll be paying for the kid's medical bills if you actually drop it on its head?"

Battler was tempted to snap, _Shut up you old bastard,_ but said nothing, and picked up the sack, which continued to do what Battler himself was tempted to do at this moment:

Cry.

* * *

Beato continued to be silent as she (having gotten dressed) and Kyrie sat in the parlour of the main mansion, holding her own sack, which was behaving for the moment, but Kyrie warned her it would not last.

"Uu! Beato!" said Maria excitedly as she ran past the parlour and stopped upon seeing Beato. "Can you come out and play a game with Maria? Uu!"

Beato opened her mouth to answer yes—then Kyrie said, "Sorry Maria, but Beato is busy right now, and will be busy for the next two days."

"Uu," shrugged Maria, looking somewhat dejected. She skipped off while Beato sighed sadly.

"You'll have to get used to not having any time for yourself now or for the next few years," said Kyrie, "When Ange was born, I had absolutely _no_ time to go out until the weather was nice enough for me to take her along; even then, I was restricted to walks around the neighbourhood. And that's not even getting into the lost intimacy with Rudolf, or..."

The more Kyrie went on, the more Beato's long-buried terror began to re-surface. She was being reminded now of her doubts—she was too young for this, too _immature_ for this...

Perhaps the great Beatrice would've been able to handle this...but if she wasn't Beatrice...and not whom she used to be...who was she?

Kyrie's speech and Beato's train of thought were cut off by the sound of the sack beginning to wail. Already, the sound was becoming the equivalent of someone slowly dragging their nails across cement to Beato. Nonetheless, she held the sack over her shoulder and closed her eyes, trying desperately to block the crying out.

"It's not going to cry like this _every_ night, right Kyrie?" said Beato above the cries.

To her dismay, Kyrie nodded, "Yes. I am sorry, Beato, but this is the sound you will be waking up to for the next two years."

_Two years..._this would be something she would have to grow _accustomed _to? No...Kyrie had to be exaggerating...

Kyrie could tell what Beato was thinking by the look in her eyes, and said, "Beato, this is the only way the baby can even tell you something is wrong, that it needs to be taken care of. That baby will be _entirely_ dependent on you and Battler to fulfill its needs."

"Are you _sure?"_ said Beato, who was beginning to feel tempted to throw the crying sack out the window.

Kyrie nodded.

Beato grit her teeth and sat absolutely still, closing her eyes and trying to focus on the only other sound in the room—the soft pitter-patter of rain hitting the windows. But even that was beginning to get drowned out by the wails. It wailed, and wailed, and _wailed._

* * *

"_O—onee-sama,"_ _choked out Beato, feeling the need to talk to her counterpart, "can...can we talk?"_

_There was a pause in the darkness before her other self appeared, also with a round belly, but her outfit being able to adjust to make it fit, unlike Beato in the real world._

"_Having your doubts?" said the other Beato._

"_I..." Beato gulped. "Yes. Beatrice...mother...might've been able to handle this, but I can't."_

"_And why not?" said the other Beato, folding her arms across her chest. "You may not be THE Beatrice, but you are a part of her legend—her legacy. You may not be her daughter, but you have played a part in keeping 'her' alive."_

"_Yes, so Kinzo could do what he wanted with me as soon as I grew old enough," muttered Beato cynically._

"_That's not important," said the other Beato firmly, "What's important is that you have been the third to take on her name—first Kinzo's lover, than his daughter with her...and now, you. Do you remember that day you learned about her?"_

_Beato struggled to recall it...she remembered the colour grey...and water..._

_Rain._

_Thunder._

_That's right, there had been a thunderstorm that day, and the one servant was in the kitchen preparing supper, leaving the young girl with no one to confide in. She was not deathly afraid of thunderstorms, but certainly did not like them as they kept her indoors. She remembered being very young—she supposed she had been no older than five, perhaps six._

_She had explored all the bedrooms out of sheer boredom, going through various drawers and playing dress-up with an assortment of clothing that was far too big on her...then she came across one particular drawer that was different. This one, at the very bottom of a pile of clothing, had a small diary, along with an old, aged black-and-white photograph of a beautiful woman with light hair up in a fancy, braided-bun, wearing an elegant dress that could easily have jumped right out of a classical painting._

_She had developed sharp reading skills from an early age, so, apart from occasionally illegible handwriting, it wasn't all that difficult to read. It was the story of a girl who had been told there was wolves all around the forest, and had thus been forbidden from ever leaving. She was a lonely girl who wondered what her purpose in life was, having no parents and no visitors, save the odd visit or two from Kinzo, who was almost like a father to her._

"_Kinzo"? But...wasn't he her grandfather? Or at least, a grandfather-type figure? In any event, she felt very sorry for the young woman, wondering what it had to be like to not know one's purpose in life...she only realized years later that she herself knew little about her own purpose..._

_Further exploration around the house revealed another journal—one from a young woman who shared the same writing style as the nice woman who came by with stories to tell about mackerel...yet she could not possibly be her. She spoke of alchemy and witchcraft, of adventure and romance...some details were left vague, so the young girl did not entirely understand the details of the romance between this woman...she had taken a liking to calling herself "Beatrice". It meant "bringer of joy", and she fancied herself as one whose skills brought joy._

_There was a point in the journal where the woman began to write less admirably of Kinzo, and more fearfully, as he was starting to get a tad possessive. She had been getting sick, but had tried to think nothing of it, until a particularly shocking entry revealed she was with child and Kinzo was keeping her here in this mansion so they would always be together and he would always see their child every day._

_Eventually, the woman had come up with a plan: With the help of Dr. Nanjo, she would fake her death in childbirth and start a new life under a new name with a man whom Dr. Nanjo would pair her up with in secret. As it turned out..._

_That name was Chiyo Kumasawa._

_Beato gasped from the sudden influx of memories and shuddered, now brought back to the darkness._

"_Too overwhelming for you, huh?" said the other Beato. "I understand."_

"_How...how is this supposed to help?" muttered Beato, feeling something of a headache._

"_Remembering how you first learned of Beatrice will help you gradually remember the rest," replied the other Beato. "Do you at least remember how you fell in love with Battler, and why? Do you remember the promise? Or even fragments of your games with him?"_

"_The promise," muttered Beato, "How could I ever forget the promise? As for the games...I don't remember a lot about the games themselves, but I do remember some of my efforts to guide him to the truth." She couldn't help but laugh, "And how brutal I could be at times."_

"_Ah, tough love," remarked the other Beato, "I can only imagine how you'll do guiding your child with life's lessons! I can imagine you being a little strict, but—"_

"_Please," said Beato sharply, "I don't want to talk about that right now."_

"_Right," muttered the other Beato, "Well, then...do you remember how Battler made you feel? Do you remember the happiness he brought you? How for a moment, he almost made you feel...free?"_

_Beato could hear the sound of clapping echoing in her ears...a clapping contest...see who could be the loudest at some sort of ceremony..._

_The taste of chocolate...a bittersweet taste, as the sweetness was mixed with salty tears over some sort of plan backfiring..._

_The small moments, together in the meta-version of Kuwadorian...the way he would pout whenever she beat him at chess...the way he would tease her over her childish love for sweets..._

_The way he could make her smile..._

_Beato, trying to compose herself, said, "Y—yes...I remember..."_

"_Remembering that love you share can help you think about who you are, and what you want to be," said the other Beato._

"_So...that's all I am?" said Beato dejectedly. "I'm only good as someone's wife...as someone's mother..." She rubbed her round, smooth belly._

"_That's not all you are," said the other Beato calmly, "That is only just one piece of a large jigsaw puzzle. You have an identity for yourself, but a part of you will always lie in mother. Do you remember the determination she showed in her diary entry not to let one baby tie her down? Show that determination. You can, and you will, get through this with the courage and strength of mother."_

_Beato blinked away tears. "Th...thank you, onee-sama," she said quietly, feeling a bit readier to face reality now._

* * *

Beato opened her eyes at the sound of a hiccup. She realized that the wailing was slowly starting to fade out, and that this round of crying was almost over.

"Well?" said Kyrie. "How did that make you feel?"

Beato looked down at the sack. It was so tiny, and yet...yet it contained the potential to frighten her, for it could start up again at any minute. She said honestly, "Somewhat stressed...but I can do this...with more practice..."

"Do you think so?" said Kyrie. "Then, if you like, I will help you learn how to use a diaper with that sack."

Beato nodded. "Yes, I...I would like that."

* * *

The experiment continued for the rest of the current morning, and then two more mornings. Beato and Battler appeared to be in polarizing directions over the experiment—Beato was slowly learning how to handle this better, whereas Battler only felt more incompetent with each of his hard efforts. He wanted to do the right thing, but how could he if he wasn't even capable of doing it?

As Beato walked with the sack in hand to meet Rudolf on Kyrie at noon on the third day, she walked right past the cousins' room, where she could hear wailing. Actually, she heard _two_ types of wailing—one from the sack, the other from a despondent Battler: _"It's useless, it's all useless!"_

At that moment, Rudolf and Kyrie came from just around the corner. "Ah, there you are, Beato," said Rudolf, "Kyrie tells me you did just excellently the first day."

Beato nodded. "Yes, it grew easier with practice."

She was almost surprised to be given a pat on the shoulder by Rudolf. "Good for you," he said, "Hopefully, you should be better prepared for parenthood than my own son is, by the sounds of it."

He opened up the door—and the three of them found Battler lying face-first on the bed, moaning and wrapping a pillow around his ears while the sack lay on the floor...having somehow burst open at the seams with the little remaining flour spilling onto the floor, exposing the small tape recorder.

Had the situation not had such a serious context to it, Beato might've burst out laughing at the sight.

Rudolf sighed and shook his head in disgust, walking up the sack. As he bent down to turn off the tape recorder he said, "You disgust me. You can't handle a _sack of flour_ and you seriously think you'll be able to handle a _baby?_ Come on; even I could keep a _goldfish_ alive until you were born."

Ashamed, Battler got off the bed and stood up, his head bowed. "I...I tried," he said in an almost small voice, "But the sack just wouldn't stop crying, and when I tried to rock it, it just came undone."

Rudolf snorted, "How the hell do you tear apart a sack just by _rocking _it?"

"I—I don't know!" cried out Battler. "It just—did! One minute, it was full, and then..." He gestured to the mess on the ground. "Poof, just...poof." He said quickly, "Up until that point, I did _somewhat_ well; I just held it and walked around the room, even when it was crying, and..."

Rudolf crossed his arms. "What would you do if you accidentally dropped the baby and it fell and hit its head on the floor? Scream and cry?"

"_No,"_ said Battler tensely, "I would call an ambulance, or—or administer first aid."

Before anymore harsh words could be exchanged, however, Jessica came running in, panting. "Excuse me," she said, "I need to talk to Beato and Battler. It's _urgent."_

Knowing instinctively what it was, Battler said to Rudolf and Kyrie, "Listen, uh...maybe Jessica could give Beato and me a few tips on caring for a baby? I hear she's taken a baby-sitting course before."

"If it will make you competent, go ahead," sighed Rudolf.

Beato and Battler followed Jessica, who ran out of the room and a slight distance down the hall. "Time to go back?" said Battler.

Jessica nodded.

"Time to go back."


	18. Chapter 18

18

The red-headed little boy sat in a corner around the building, away from the other children. His relationship with them was, in an odd way, even. None of them wanted to come anywhere near him, and he did not particularly care for any of them. Not that he hadn't _tried_—it was his misfortune that he was socially awkward. He had trouble relating to the plights of the children whose families had died while they were old enough to remember them—the ones who were killed in accidents, or the ones who had succumbed to illness.

After all, he knew nothing of his own family. He knew neither the face nor touch of family. He couldn't even consider any of the adults in charge 'family'—they were often cold and distant towards most of the children, including him. He had noticed that some of them ignored the wails of the babies until they had gone red in the face, and even when they did respond they hardly showed any affection. It would be a quick diaper change or bottle-feed and then back into the crib. He wondered if that had been how he was treated as a baby...and if it had anything to do with who he was now...

An instructor came outside with a bell, signalling for everyone to come back in. The boy stayed where he was. He had no fear of being caught; he was hiding at a distance where he would not be seen. And with all the bustles of children to be rushed in, he knew he wouldn't be caught. What difference did one missing child make, anyway?

He leaned his head against the wall with a sigh and closed his eyes. He supposed this wasn't the worst orphanage in the world; he had heard rumours of _much_ worse places. But still, he felt the need to stay outside for just a few more minutes...to enjoy the fresh air...to have some time to himself...to wonder what it might be like if someone were to take him in...

"So you really want a family, huh?"

The boy opened his eyes and gasped at the sight of a blonde-haired woman dressed in pink. He supposed she had to be much older than him, yet somehow, she looked _childish._ He wondered if he should call for someone to come out and handle this intruder (he could _swear_ she hadn't been there _before)_.

No. Everyone had to be inside by now. No one would hear him.

Sensing the boy's fear, the witch said, "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you. I just sympathize with your situation, that's all. Being in an orphanage where it feels like no one really loves you doesn't feel good at all, huh?"

The boy nodded, still suspicious.

"I'll bet you would _love_ to find a new home, wouldn't you?" said the witch almost impishly. "Or how about finding your _real_ family?"

The boy did not respond. It had to be some sort of trap...

"Or what if I managed to pull off _both?"_ said the witch. "What if I arranged for you to be adopted by someone kindly, _and_ have it ultimately lead up to being reunited with your family? You'd _love_ that, wouldn't you?"

The boy chose now to speak:

"Who are you to say you could ever grant such a wish?"

The witch's eyes lit up. "Of course! How silly of me not to introduce myself! I am Lady Lambdadelta, Witch of Absolute! All you have to do is wish to gain a temporary family and also to meet your real family, and I will grant it!"

"Is there some sort of _catch?"_ asked the boy suspiciously.

Lambdadelta smirked, "Nothing gets past you, does it, kid? It won't be a _huge_ catch; it'll be just a tiny little task you'll have to help me carry out..."

* * *

Sento woke up in the meta-world, realizing he had fallen asleep in his chair. He thought with a smirk: _That dream again, eh? Did it really happen, I wonder? Or was it fabricated for my convenience? Nothing in the meta-world can truly be taken at face value, after all._

He noticed Lambdadelta standing right across from him, tapping her foot. "Apologies, Lambdadelta-sama," he said, dropping his smirk, "I am ready for the next round to begin, if my dear sister is."

"She's _been_ ready for the past five minutes," said Lambdadelta, gesturing over to where Jessica stood with Battler, Beato, Ronove, and Virgilia.

Sento stood up. "What a shame to have you all interrupt my beauty sleep."

"Not that there was ever anything 'beautiful' about it to begin with," scoffed Beato.

"_Beato,"_ hissed Battler sharply, but Sento only laughed, "You have spirit—that should be a good trait for your child to inherit...assuming they survive, that is."

Battler took a step forward, but Jessica placed a hand on his shoulder, and he took a step back. Jessica took her turn to step forward and said, "I agree that it would be good for this child to have spirit..._when_ they are born."

Sento's trademark smirk returned. "Good to see you haven't lost your _own_ spirit, dear sister—it makes you _so_ much more attractive."

Ignoring that last little comment, Jessica said boldly, "Let the next round begin!"

"Just in time, too," said Sento, "For I have another question: **In the last game, you proposed that Krauss could have handed me over to the owner of an orphanage in secret.** **It was also said that I was not taken to Kinzo's orphanage in case he somehow recognized me.** Where then, dear sister, could I have ever gone to?"

Jessica pondered for a moment before saying: _"There are a few possible orphanages you might have gone to, all of which could be located in Japan in a city not too far but not too close to anywhere any of the other relatives may live."_

"And those would be...?" said Sento with a gesture of his hand.

Jessica struggled to think...she _knew_ their names; she just _had_ them in her head a minute ago...

"I think the orphanage Jessica has in mind is located in the southern area of Japan, correct?" prompted Virgilia.

"Right!" said Jessica, her memory coming back to her. _"One of those orphanages may have been the Wakahisa Home for Children. _**It is located in the Kyushu region."**

"**I'll acknowledge it," **said Sento with a shrug.

Jessica was almost surprised—she had expected Sento to shoot her down by suggesting the orphanage in question might have been too close by for other family members to go to (though she highly doubted it). Battler, too, was surprised, for he said, "That was easy, ihihi!"

"I'm just getting warmed up," said Sento, cracking his knuckles, "How could I have been supervised carefully to make sure I was not mixed up with any of the other children, and therefore have them take on my name by mistake?"

"Um..." Jessica thought for a moment before saying, _"With really careful supervision, I suppose."_

Sento laughed, "Oh, Lambdadelta-sama, I _love_ this girl! With careful supervision _indeed!_ Not good enough; try _harder."_

"Wait," spoke up Battler, "you're not counting this as a _loss,_ are you?"

"I never said anything about it _being_ a loss," said Sento, "All I said was she would have to try harder. Unless you _think_ it counts..."

"No, of course not!" said Battler quickly. Off the top of his head, he said, "To be more specific with Jessica's words, _your one supervisor, from the time you were taken off the island to the time you arrived at the orphanage, may have held you close to her side the entire time, and continued to stay with you as you were assigned to your crib."_

"_Much_ better," said Sento. He said tauntingly, "You see, dear sister? Even my **incompetent** brother can do better than _you!"_

"**Ushiromiya Battler is competent,"** said Jessica defensively, thankful to have had Battler's assistance.

"No, I would have to say **Ushiromiya Battler is incompetent,"** said Sento, flashing his taunting eyes over at Battler, who was ticked off but not steaming.

"**The competence of Ushiromiya Battler is not the issue here!"** declared Lambdadelta, though it was easy to tell she agreed with Sento. "Back to the game!"

"Right, sorry," said Sento with a shrug, **"I'll acknowledge it.** Now then, dear sister, how could it have been guaranteed for _certain_ I would never be mixed up with any other child as I grew older?"

"Common sense," replied Jessica, _"You might've had a distinguishable attitude, or a certain birthmark. As you grew older, it would also grow easier for the staff to tell the difference between you and other children."_

"Is that all you've _got?"_ scoffed Sento. "Perhaps Battler isn't the incompetent one here after all..."

Jessica slammed her hands down on the table and cried out, "At least I'm _trying!_ I made a mistake of _ever_ trusting you _or_ Lambdadelta, and now the life of an innocent _baby_ hangs in the balance here!"

Her breath grew shorter with each rant as she began to pour her feelings out: "I know I'm not as good as...as Battler...or Beato...but I'm _trying_ to...for the sake of my...fa...fam..."

She coughed and gasped for air and fell to her knees, feeling the all-too familiar sensation of growing short on breath, a giant hand squeezing her lungs, that awful sensation of suffocation, of drowning in oxygen.

The cries of the others rang in her ears and she felt her allies surround her, asking what was the matter. But how could she tell them what was wrong if she _couldn't?_ She hadn't any breath to speak, or even to _scream..._

_I'm having an asthma attack,_ Jessica realized, feeling that awful sense of panic, _I can't be having one here! My inhaler...where is it? I know I brought it with me—the last I remember using it was in one of the bathrooms in the guest house right before I had to leave and...oh God, I left it in the bathroom! How could I make such a mistake?_

She was suddenly aware of something being shoved into her mouth and being given a simply instruction: "Breathe into this."

She closed her eyes and obeyed, tasting a mildly sweet breath of air. She heard Battler's voice cry out, "What are you up to? Are you trying to poison her?"

"Idiot," said another voice, "I need her alive for the duration of our little game; you wouldn't think I'd try to _kill_ her, now would you? Now please get your hands off of me; I am trying to save the life of my dear sister."

_Sento._

Jessica opened her eyes, realizing she was breathing into the inhaler she had left behind in the bathroom...and that the person holding it to her mouth, like a nurse holding a bottle to a baby, was Sento.

By now, she could breathe much easier, and parted her lips from the inhaler, letting out a breath of relief. Sento placed the inhaler in her hands and said, "Like I said, I need you alive for the rest of this game. I can't have you dying of an asthma attack on me; however would your lack of a present body be accounted for in the real world?"

Jessica looked up into Sento's dark eyes. She searched for a sign of suspicion beneath them, a sign of some sort of ulterior motive, but he kept a neutral look within them. She said weakly, "Th—thank you, Sento."

With the help of Ronove and Beato, Jessica slowly stood up to her feet. She cleared her throat and said, "Now, about that question—"

"Forget about it," said Sento suddenly, "It's more or less the same question I asked you before; I don't think it's really necessary to repeat it. I'm willing to acknowledge your answer, but—"

"_Excuse me?"_ said Lambdadelta in an almost threatening tone, suddenly looking a _lot_ less childish. "When do _you_ get to say what questions should or shouldn't be asked, _huh?"_

"Lambdadelta-sama," said Sento calmly, "I believe it was discussed between us at one point on whether this particular question should be necessary or not. After all, I doubt the people at the orphanage would've been neglectful enough to mix up me with another person's baby."

Lambdadelta looked back and forth between Sento and Jessica before forcing a smile and saying, "Then that question can just be disregarded all together! Any objections?"

"None here," shrugged Jessica, "Next question, please?"

"Lambdadelta-sama," said Sento, "do you suppose it would be all right if we were to call it a day and save the tougher questions for two more weeks? If we save up, we will only have two more rounds left to go. Otherwise, we might just be able to knock it off in just one more game next time. And why not relish every moment we have?"

Jessica began to feel a _lot_ more scared by Lambdadelta's smile than by her asthma attack—the difference being, she had been scared for herself in the latter, whereas with the former, she couldn't help but wonder what might be done to Sento.

"All righty then!" said Lambdadelta a little _too_ cheerfully. "Just wait two more weeks, and we'll call you _right_ back? _Okay?"_

"What's the matter, Lambda?" said Beato teasingly. "A little _peeved?"_

"_Beato!"_ hissed Battler once more, fearing Lambdadelta just might aim her wrath at Beato.

"Just _go,"_ said Lambdadelta irritably.

When the four disappeared, she dropped her smile and whipped around to Sento. "You know, I could easily sentence Beato to becoming goat food _just_ like that, and I could do something _similar_ to you. I might let you get away with being cocky to the _others,_ but unless you really, _really_ want a fate worse than Bern's piece, you had _better_ not take up that attitude to _me."_

Sento put on a calm facade, but his master's words were somewhat unnerving: "I understand clearly. My deepest apologies, Lambdadelta-sama. We will continue to carry on as normal for the last two rounds; if I have any objections, I will raise them with you _before,_ rather than _during,_ the games."

"Apology accepted," said Lambdadelta, "But I have to wonder if you even _want_ to win at this point. You're getting to be a lot like Beato—the more she wanted Battler to win, the less harder she tried. And look what happened to _her_ as a result. Consider yourself lucky we're not ending this in a tie for eternity."

"Oh, I do," shrugged Sento, "It seems fairly simple enough—with every victory Jessica clenches, I am one step closer to becoming the true victor. And then we can _finally_ implement our little plot. Just imagine how Lady Bernkastel would react to it."

At this, Lambdadelta's mood seemed to change. She giggled, "Oooh, Bern would absolutely _love_ it! Soon enough, she and I will be together—forever!"

Sento secretly breathed a sigh of relief—knowing people's weaknesses certainly had its advantages.


	19. Chapter 19

19

Nearly everyone had forgotten they had two weeks between now and the next game.

What wasn't forgotten was Battler's growing anxiety—the more his father lectured him about how he wasn't cut out for parenthood, the more he was beginning to believe it. And the more he thought about how Jessica had two more rounds to go, the more he thought about the possibility of her losing.

* * *

Battler was standing in total darkness, not having a clue as to where he was, or how he got here. He could see nothing beyond where he was standing...and even then, he saw nothing.

"Hello?" he called out. "Is anyone here?"

For some odd reason, he felt his heart begin to speed up. He had a feeling of being in danger, but he did not know what that danger actually _was._ He could not see that danger, but that did not mean it did not exist. It was standing in a corner...waiting for him...waiting for him to make one wrong move...and then...it would all be over...

Just then, something up ahead began to materialize...and laugh...

"Why hello there, dear _brother,"_ sneered the now fully-materialized Sento, "Feeling lost? Not knowing where you are or what's going on? It wouldn't surprise me—it's not the _first_ time you've been a total failure at something. Think back to your most _recent_ failures, for instance."

Battler tried to step back, but felt trapped by the darkness. He did not wish to stay to hear reminders of his incompetence, but what other choice had he? He could not run, or else disaster would ensue. And if he hid, he would be branded a coward.

"You had real potential to reach the truth in time," said Sento, his voice echoing, "Too bad you couldn't have reached it _before_ your beloved Beato _died."_

Battler tried to say that she was back now, that she was not dead now, but he suddenly lost his voice and could only gasp in vain. He tried not to let the words get to him, but he knew how true they were. Indeed, he had failed to solve the game before time was up...he had been so close, so close...and had finally come within its grasp...too late...

"And let's not forget your pathetic attempt to bring her back," said Sento, his voice growing more mocking, "You only brought _more_ misery upon her in doing so—imagine what it would be like to wake up one morning and not know who you were or why you were ever even wanted when that one person who supposedly wanted you back keeps treating you poorly. She tried _so_ hard to please you, to do whatever she could to make you happy. And_ how _did you respond?"

Battler tried once again to speak. And still, he remained mute.

"Oh, that's right," said Sento, "you demanded to have your _real_ Beatrice back. You dismissed her efforts as though they were _nothing."_

"That's not true!" Battler finally said. "I...I was impressed by how she entered that trial...for me...even if she killed Aunt Natsuhi...and I told her so."

"Did you make any effort _before_ that?" sneered Sento. "I can only imagine how you would react if something was to happen to your _child_ and they got amnesia. Which reminds me..."

Battler lost his voice once more, and could only stand helplessly as Sento taunted, "You _promised_ to make everything better, and then you got her _pregnant,_ leaving her scared and vulnerable—_especially _vulnerable thanks to the little deal Jessica and I made. How do you suppose she would feel if she were to lose the baby, and realize she wouldn't even have to deal with such trauma had it not been for your _stupidity?"_

Battler was growing more and more frustrated with his inability to speak, yet he knew he deserved this criticism. That's right; it was his fault this ever happened. He wouldn't be dealing with this worry now had he bothered to look in the drawer...or if he had placed it where he could _see_ it and thus _remember_ it...

Sento snapped his fingers and an image appeared right beside him—that of Kinzo standing together with Beato as the real Beatrice, holding her close in his arms, his face close to her hair as he caught a whiff of its fresh scent, his hands caressing her back...

"Look how much _happier_ she is in Kinzo's arms," taunted Sento, "Kinzo would _never_ do anything to hurt _her,_ now would he?"

To Battler's horror, Sento morphed into a figure vaguely resembling his father who sneered, "And Kinzo would _never_ have allowed for such irresponsible _disappointments."_

Kinzo held Beatrice closer, moving his face over to hers. He began to lean in for their lips to meet...

* * *

"_SHUT UUUUUUUUP!"_ screamed Battler right before he sprang halfway up in bed, feeling a hand restrain him from going all the way, and his eyes opened.

"Onii-chan!" cried out Ange. "Was it another bad dream?"

Battler gulped, feeling his heart race as he began to settle down and realize he was not in any sort of darkness, and that Sento was not here. He was in the cousins' room, Beato with all the cousins gathered around him, looking worried.

Ever since Christmas, he had been having increasingly frightening nightmares, all the same: He would hear his own doubts being echoed by one person or another, about how he wasn't sure if he could do this, and his father would appear in every single one of them to say that this person was right and further chide Battler, all before some sort of frightening climax.

"Y—yeah," admitted Battler, "It was just a dream...that's all it was..." he said to himself, even though he knew these dreams had a degree of truth in them.

"You've been having a lot of bad dreams lately, Battler," commented George, "Are you sure there is nothing bothering you? Perhaps you feel pressure about how you're going to take care of—"

"No! No! Everything's fine!" said Battler quickly as he leaped out of bed and nearly knocked George over as he ran over to the dresser to find a pair of clothes. "Stop worrying about me, father—Rudolf—George-aniki!"

Beato looked at her husband curiously. This was not the first time he accidentally called someone else "father" or "Rudolf"; this was not as frequent as his nightmares, and only happened on a few occasions, but it was happening more and more. She wondered if George was right, if perhaps Battler felt pressured by all this, especially with his father's disapproval.

She couldn't help but feel slightly angry at Rudolf. Battler had promised to find a job and do whatever else he could to make this situation better, and was trying to learn how to take care of a baby, but Rudolf didn't seem to appreciate his efforts at all. At least he was _trying..._

Battler rushed past everyone before slamming the bathroom door shut. It slammed it so loud it caused everyone to wince. "If you'll excuse me," said George, "I am going to meet up with Sayo now."

After he left, Jessica said, "I hope Battler's okay. During the few times I have met with him, I have never seen him this stressed. Is something like this normal at home, Ange?"

Ange shook her head. "No, onii-chan doesn't really get like this all that much. But I remember him being kind of stressed and cranky one time a while ago when he had some sort of big test coming up."

"Well, babies _can_ be stressful," reasoned Jessica, "I know I'd be freaking out if I were in your shoes, Beato, especially if my dad came down on me as hard as Uncle Rudolf is on Battler."

Beato nodded. "Yes, Rudolf has been harsher recently. He's not as bad towards me, but when he is..." She sighed, "He and the other adults all probably view me and Battler as the black sheep of the family."

"Uu, we should all give Battler our best support!" said Maria enthusiastically. "When he comes out of the bathroom, we'll all promise to welcome the baby and not treat it as a burden, uu!"

Beato didn't want to rain on Maria's optimism, knowing she was too young to know any better, but in many ways, yes, the baby _would_ be a burden, and being reminded of that fact daily did not help to lessen the anxiety over how her and Battler's lives would have to change drastically, all to accommodate one little person.

Jessica let out a sudden gasp and leaned forward. "Maria, Ange," she said quickly, "You need to get out of here _now."_

"Why?" asked Ange.

Beato, knowing the reason, said, "I think Jessica's not feeling too well right now; she's just going to lie down."

Ange and Maria looked over at each other before running out. Right after they ran out of the bedroom, Battler came out of the bathroom and noticed the way Jessica was standing. "Do you want me to get Genji and Kumasawa?" he said.

"I think it's too late for that, Battler," said Beato, grabbing onto Jessica's hand, "We'll just have to go with her alone."

Battler thought about trying to go get them anyway, but he knew Beato was right, and grabbed onto Jessica's other hand, resolving to keep Beato safe through whatever means necessary while in the meta-world.

* * *

"Just the three of you, now?" remarked Sento upon the appearance of just Jessica, Battler, and Beato without Ronove or Virgilia. "What happened—did your other two companions get tired of such **incompetent** opponents, hmm?"

Deciding not to let Sento know the real reason why, Battler said, "Oh no, we just decided that this was getting too easy _with_ them. Without them, the stakes should be raised higher, and therefore make this game _much_ more interesting."

"Beginning to think like _me,_ now are you, brother?" said Sento amusingly.

"Two less people just makes this less crowded," shrugged Lambdadelta, "And that's fine by me. On to the game, now!"

"The list of questions just keeps narrowing further and further," said Sento before stating: **"In the last game, you proposed that a close eye was kept on me to ensure that I would not be mixed up with another person's child.** Which brings us to my childhood: Did I live in an orphanage for the rest of my miserable childhood? Or did some kindly stranger take me in as their own?"

Before Jessica could answer, Battler turned to Beato and said, "Beato, you shouldn't be standing for too long; you know how dizzy you get. Why don't you take a seat for now?"

Beato shrugged, "Sure, I'm beginning to feel a bit light-headed anyway. I'll just stand up when it's time to help."

Beato walked over to a nearby chair and sat down in it, wincing as her back ached. Sento chuckled, "My, my, why don't we just put you in an orange dress, slap a green beret on your head, and call you a pumpkin?"

Lambdadelta laughed, and even Jessica found it a bit funny, but she said nothing. Battler found the mental image to be adorable enough to want to take home. Beato scoffed, "How lucky of you to make such a remark on a day when my hormones aren't at their highest."

"Ah, women," said Sento with a roll of his eyes. Then, "Forgive me, dear sister, for getting off-topic, but I hope the time I just spent joking around was enough sufficient time for you to think up a good answer to my question. How about it?"

"_It is doubtful you would live in an orphanage the rest of your life,"_ stated Jessica, _"Eventually, you would've been adopted by someone who could serve as your temporary family."_

"Whom, exactly?" said Sento. "Santa Clause, perhaps?"

Lambdadelta was tempted to make a bold announcement about her relation to Santa Clause, but chose to keep her mouth shut, lest she steer Sento off-topic, a habit he was growing all too fond of lately. It made her wonder if he was doing it on purpose...

"Well, um..." said Jessica slowly, "I would say..."

Beato began to speak up: _"You might have been—"_

She was cut off by Battler's hand clasping around her mouth, then pulling away. When she tried to speak up in protest, she realized she couldn't—her lips were, quite literally sealed.

Wanting to know the reason for this, she tried to get up, but felt restrained somehow. It was then that she looked down at her wrists and ankles, which had a frozen chain wrapped around them, preventing her from standing up.

"This is for your own good, Beato," said Battler as though he were speaking to a five-year-old child who had just been spanked for stealing a cookie, "I can't let you risk yourself and the baby anymore. You will just have to sit there and be quiet until it is time for us to leave."

"Mmph, mmm, _mmmmmm!"_ grunted Beato in protest with an angry glare.

"Uh...Battler," said Jessica carefully, "I think Beato does just fine whenever she's helping me, so..."

"No, Jessica," said Battler sharply, whipping around to her, "We can't afford for Beato to risk invoking the ire of Lambdadelta or Sento."

Sento couldn't help but find the sight amusing. It was like some sort of demented sitcom. "I take it then, brother, that you have some sort of _genius_ answer to my question?"

"Actually, I think I have something now," said Jessica, _"You might have been adopted by a kindly doctor who had no children of his own, but always wanted to raise one himself."_

"And this doctor's name would be...?" said Sento.

Battler stepped in: _"It could be Doctor Hashimoto._ I remember my dad saying something about him once—he was the doctor who had allegedly delivered me, **when he actually delivered you, as you were born to Ushiromiya Asumu.** _He might have heard your name, realized who you were as he may have also had a role in swapping the two babies, and decided to take you in."_

"Me being adopted by the same doctor who just _happened_ to deliver me," mused Sento, "How convenient! But no matter—**I'll acknowledge it.** And I am sure your wife would acknowledge it, too, were she not in her current state."

Battler looked over at the fuming Beato, then looked back over at Sento and said, "Next question, please."

"Care to explain _how_ I managed to find out about my biological family?" said Sento with a shrug.

"Hmm..._what if you asked Dr. Hashimoto about your family, or the circumstances surrounding your birth?"_ suggested Jessica.

Sento cut that down: **"There was no way I could have known that Dr. Hashimoto knew anything about my real family. **I might have been curious, sure, but what exactly would give me reason to ask him if I bore any relation to the Ushiromiya family?"

Before Jessica had a chance to say anything, Battler cut in: _"You could have overheard Dr. Hashimoto having a conversation on the phone regarding the Ushiromiya family."_

"**Dr. Hashimoto would have enough integrity not to spread idle gossip over his patients' most trusted secrets to another stranger,"** countered Sento, "Furthermore, **Dr. Hashimoto never made contact with anyone else in the Ushiromiya family ever since he took me in."**

Jessica tried to speak up, but again was cut off by Battler who said, "Jessica, let me handle this; I know the perfect answer to Sento's riddle!"

Sento folded his arms. "Then what is it? Do tell, brother."

"_You might have overheard Dr. Hashimoto discussing it with another client, or a close friend or acquaintance whom he knew for certain would not say a word about your birth circumstances,"_ declared Battler, feeling satisfied to have finally—

"You've never heard of 'doctor-patient confidentiality', have you?" snickered Sento. "Then I will repeat myself: **Dr. Hashimoto would never idly discuss his patients' secrets for the sake of chatter."**

Battler was recalling those moments in the second game...that moment where he was so sure he had everything figured out...only to be cut down by Beato's red sword...

"Um..._you looked up the Ushiromiya names in the telephone book!"_ he blurted out.

Lambdadelta had to stifle a laugh, while Sento smirked, "My, my, **you really are incompetent, aren't you? Ha-ha-ha-ha! **Well, then, I'll just have to repeat myself yet again—**there was no way I could have known by myself that I was related to the Ushiromiya family! **Therefore, how could I know to look my family up in the phone book, **you incompetent—**"

He was cut off by Battler's fist striking him in the face, knocking him back a few feet. Feeling tears of anger well up, Battler cried out, **"I AM NOT INCOMPETENT!"**

Sento calmly stood up to his feet and said, as though he hadn't just been punched in the face despite having a red mark on his cheek to show for it, "Prove it."

"Wait!" cried out Jessica. "I think...I think I know..."

"The clock is ticking, dear sister," said Sento tauntingly, "Are you going to fight back, or just talk? One, and not the other, will prevent that dear baby from turning into fetus fries to serve to my master...I might even be selfish enough to steal one for myself, heh-heh..."

"_UUUOOOAAAAGGGHHH!"_ cried out Battler and he lunged at Sento again, only to fall flat on his face when Sento simply took a step to the side.

Jessica was tempted to carry out Battler's task herself, but she knew from the look in Sento's eyes that that was what he wanted. He wanted to expose his enemy's weak point and exploit it for all it was worth. But if she wasn't going to hit him, she had to fight back with an explanation...but how? It was there, yet it was slipping...slipping...slipping...

She hadn't even noticed the look in Sento's eyes shift until she was nearly shoved aside, still standing to witness Sento being shoved across the room and slammed into one of the windows by Beato.

But it wasn't her counterpart, who was still chained up in her chair. No...it was the _actual_ Beato, complete with the old-fashioned black maternity dress she was wearing...

"Fetus fries—how disgusting!" scoffed Beato. "I think I'd rather have you sliced up into mashed potatoes instead, how's that?"

She threw her head back and let out a witchy cackle, startling Jessica. She had never seen _this_ side to Beato before...she seemed to be acting how she once acted...

"Beato!" said Battler sharply. He grabbed her by the shoulders and said, "Beato, you need to _get out;_ this isn't sa—"

Beato pushed Battler off of her and said, "I got onee-sama's message loud and clear. If _she_ can't fight for Jessica's sake, then _I_ will!"

"I was handling this!" insisted Battler. "You tell her, Jessica!"

Jessica bit her lip and looked over at the windows, feeling very uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"I can attest that Battler only proved your red theory about him to be all too accurate," said Sento coolly, walking up to the pair; similar to a few minutes ago, he was barely fazed by violence directed at him. It was as though he _expected_ it.

Battler weakly stepped aside and allowed Beato to take charge: _"There may have been a day where you snooped through Dr. Hashimoto's confidential files and eventually found the file regarding the case of Ushiromiya Asumu. It was from there that you learned who you real parents were, as it contained both you and Battler's names. You still carried Battler's name—or at least, the alternate reading for his name."_

Jessica heard a sound from behind her. She turned and noticed that the chains around the other Beato's ankles had come undone.

Beato continued: _"When you asked Dr. Hashimoto about it, he refused to tell you anything as you were around ten years old at the time; however, he resolved to tell you on a day when you were old enough. On your nineteenth birthday, Dr. Hashimoto finally told you the truth—about Asumu, about the baby swap, and about what had happened with Natsuhi."_

Now, the chains around the other Beato's wrists were gone.

Still on a role, and forgetting for a moment that this was Jessica's game, Beato went on: _"Dr. Hashimoto did not know the full details about what had happened with Natsuhi, but he had been told enough by the head of the orphanage to know that you had barely survived being thrown off a cliff and were somehow saved."_

The other Beato opened her mouth and gasped, now grateful to have her lips unsealed. Beato ran over to her, and gently helped her up, shooting a glare at Battler over her shoulder.

"In that case," said Sento, "I can't help but ask just what exactly made Dr. Hashimoto believe that my birthday would be the perfect time to tell me."

Jessica decided to take her turn: _"Dr. Hashimoto may have discovered he was dying of some sort of terminal illness at around the same time you celebrated your birthday and decided it would be best to let you know the truth about your family before he died. However, it was not until he was on his death bed months later that he gave you the addresses necessary to track down your family!"_

Sento stroked his chin thoughtfully. "In spite of you needing a bit of help," he said, "it was _very good_ help. **I'll acknowledge all truths."**

Lambdadelta spoke up: "Sento and I got to talking earlier, and we have agreed to end this round right here, and save the last round for this time next week. Only, Jessica will have to go _alone._ _No_ help."

Jessica was hesitant, but she said, "I'll agree to that. I will be back next week...alone."

With a wave, Sento said, "Until then..._see you again. Have a nice week."_

The team of four vanished. Sento cracked his knuckles and said, "Well, in spite of me taking a few beatings here and there, everything is going perfectly well."

"I'll say," said Lambdadelta, slouching down in a nearby chair, "I wonder, though, if you _planned_ on taking those hits."

Sento grinned. "Would I ever take an _unplanned_ strike, Lambdadelta-sama?" Then, "You know...I'm sure that if Jessica could make it this far _with_ help, then she should be able to do just as fine _without_ help. That way, she will be the only one to know of our real plan when we actually _tell_ her..._when_ she wins." He laughed, "I can't _wait_ to see the look on her face!"

Lambdadelta sighed, "Well, when she wins, there's always popcorn."

* * *

Jessica had known better than to stay in the cousins' room while Battler and Beato were having an argument, and so she left the two alone to sort out their troubles.

"Beato, I did what I had to do for your own good," said Battler calmly.

"_For my own good?"_ said Beato angrily. "You thought _chaining _my other self was for my own _good?"_

"Well, I wasn't going to leave her like that _forever,"_ said Battler self-defensively, "I was going to let her go when we were done!"

"Would you have known _how?"_ argued Beato.

Battler threw his hands up in the air. "Would you just _listen_ for a second? I did it because I was worried you might come up with a wrong answer, or make Lambdadelta angrier than you did in the last game—nice _going,_ by the way."

"The life of our _child_ is at stake; _of course_ I'd be angry enough to make a remark," snapped Beato, "And do you know what makes me _really_ angry right now? The fact that you seem to think I can't handle _anything_ by myself."

"I'm going to say it one more time," Battler began, but he was cut off: "No, Batter, I mean what you've been _doing._ I don't need you to tell me where I can or can't go alone, and I _especially_ don't need you walking me _everywhere_ like I'm going to break! Do you plan on locking me up in my room and telling me there are wolves everywhere, too?"

Battler folded his arms. "Oh, _I_ see," he said, "You think I'm becoming just like _him._ If you would only give me a chance to—"

Just then, Kyrie came running in. "What's the matter?" she said sharply. "I heard yelling."

Beato glared at Battler. "It's nothing, Kyrie," she said coldly, "I just think Battler and I need some time apart until we get off the island."

And with that, she marched out of the room and slammed the door behind her.


	20. Chapter 20

20

A curtain of ice descended upon the once happily-married young couple who had dreams about their lives beyond the games, however naive they may have been. They were dreams that had been shattered, then re-constructed upon the revelation they were going to start their own family. Now, there was a bitter taste of separation between the two.

They both knew deep down they could never bring themselves to divorce once they got off the island. Yet they knew they needed some time apart in order to heal. They would unite once they were ready to discuss their feelings about the affair—their _real_ feelings, not glossing them over to hide their fear.

* * *

It had been exactly one week since Battler and Beato had stopped speaking. No one had paid too much attention to it at first, but after a few days it became clear there was a degree of coldness between them. It was even noticed by Ange who had chosen to speak on this day:

"Onii-chan, are you and Beato mad at each other?"

Battler, who had been reading a book in the parlour, looked up and said, "Oh, Beato and I are just having grown-up issues, but we will sort through them together as a couple."

Ange climbed up onto Battler's lap. "Are they about the baby?"

Of course, Battler and Ange weren't the only people in the room; Eva, Krauss, Kyrie, and George were there. They had heard Ange's question and were all looking over at Battler. He was beginning to get tired of all the 'looks' he would get from the other relatives, be they ones of concern or disdain. He said, "Eh...some of them."

"Meaning _all_ of them," muttered Eva.

"Mother!" hissed George, but Kyrie said, "No, I agree; Battler, you don't have to hide it for the sake of wanting to make me and your father proud: This baby is putting pressure on you and Beato, isn't it?"

Battler looked away, deciding not to answer Kyrie's question. She was right; one of the many factors in the tension between Battler and Beato was the thought of how they were going to raise a baby that hadn't been planned, and that they were only semi-prepared to take on. Ange could tell this was a grown-up discussion, and slid off her brother's lap and ran out of the parlour.

"You know a poker face isn't enough to fool me, Battler," said Kyrie sternly, "Sooner or later, you and Beato will _have_ to talk about this. I can tell you want to be a good father. If that is so, you _must_ make an effort to improve your relationship with the baby's mother. You can't just assume this baby will make it better the moment it arrives—that's not only unrealistic, it is also unfair to the child who will have to carry the burden of its parents' anger for not making everything perfect."

Battler knew Kyrie's words were continuing to ring true, but he only said, "So where's Beato?"

George chose to speak up: "The last time I saw her, she was outside in the rose garden with Jessica."

Battler nodded in thanks and began to run off in hopes of seeking reconciliation with his wife.

* * *

Beato sat outside in the rose garden with Jessica, observing the roses that had somehow survived in these harsh conditions. Actually, the weather had let up a great deal. It was no longer raining quite so frequently, and although the skies were still gray they weren't decorated with ominous clouds. There was no thunder, but a soft wind that stirred as the two women each took a sip of ginger tea.

"If I win," said Jessica, "I'm guessing this storm will clear up all together, and you'll be able to go home."

Beato nodded. "Yes...I'll go home...look at cribs to buy...prepare for the baby..."

Her hand rested on her round stomach. With Jessica's abilities, she was confident Jessica would win this final round and the baby would arrive safe and healthy. Should the baby arrive, however, would it provide fear or comfort? She was still not talking to Battler, after all...

"Beato," spoke Jessica, wondering if now was the right time to bring it up, "I...I think you and Battler should get to talking..."

Beato set her cup down. "There is nothing to talk about," she said coolly.

"Look, I don't approve of what he did at all," said Jessica quickly, "But don't you think you should at least _try_ to talk about this with him? I know my parents sometimes have their...issues...but they usually work through them together. Even Yoshiya and I..."

Just saying his name was enough to form a lump in Jessica's throat. Yoshiya...the two hadn't had time to speak in over two weeks. The time spent apart from him made her heart ache, and long to be with him even more. Sometimes, she wondered if she should just say "to hell with my parents" and announce she was indeed in love with Yoshiya. The one thing preventing her from doing this, however, was the fear of what would happen to him if she were to reveal those feelings. Would he be sent away? Fired?

"You and Yoshiya aren't expecting a baby," pointed out Beato.

"No, but that's not the point," said Jessica, "The point is, every couple has their issues. Your problems with Battler haven't reached the point where there is absolutely _nothing_ that can be done to fix them, right?"

Beato picked up her spoon and stirred it in her tea. "I guess not," she said slowly, "Where was he the last time you saw him?"

"I think he's somewhere in the mansion," said Jessica, "Check the parlour."

And now it was Beato's turn to get up and search for her husband, barely missing him along the way.

* * *

Battler, having not found a trace of Beato in the rose garden, decided to check the guest house. No sooner had he arrived than had he run into Rudolf.

"Oh," said Battler uncomfortably, "Uh...hi, dad."

"Hi," said Rudolf stiffly.

Battler wondered if his father knew about the conflict between him and Beato, and if he looked down any further on him for it. If he did, then...well, he wouldn't really blame him, but...

"Have you seen Beato?" said Battler. "I need to talk to her."

"I thought she was in the rose garden outside," said Rudolf, avoiding any hint of emotion in his tone.

"She's not there," said Battler, "I thought maybe she had gone in here, but I guess she's somewhere else."

"Does this have anything to do with the cold war between you two for the past week?" said Rudolf bluntly, folding his arms across his chest.

Battler rubbed the back of his neck. "Yes," he admitted, "And I'm finding her to—"

"What was this fight about in the first place?" cut off Rudolf.

"It...well..." Battler wasn't sure how to really _explain_ without making it sound...odd. "It...well, I thought she was being unreasonable at first, but I've been thinking about it, and it really is my fault..."

"Unreasonable about _what?"_ inquired Rudolf. _"What_ was your fault?"

"I've been...a little overprotective of her recently," admitted Battler with a sigh, "And she's been feeling smothered, so I'm finding her to apologize for my behaviour."

"Does your overprotective behaviour have anything to do with the baby?"

Battler sighed and looked off. Rudolf scoffed, "I knew it—you really can't handle the pressure, can you? You bit off more than you can chew, and now you're—"

Battler didn't know what it was. Maybe it was weeks of hearing those sort of lectures, maybe it was him getting a little over-confident, or maybe he had just temporarily lost his sanity. Whatever it was, he sharply pushed two words out of his mouth:

"_Shut up."_

He hadn't even realized he had said those words until Rudolf promptly stopped talking and looked at his son in a mixture of disbelief and fury for daring to talk back to him. He started to say, "Don't you da—"

But this time, it was Battler's turn to cut his father off. All the emotions that had been bottled up inside him came pouring out and he said, growing louder and angrier with each word, "Most guys would've _left,_ dad, but I'm at least _trying_ to be responsible and do the right thing for Beato and the baby. I've _always_ had them in mind, and that was led me to _get_ so overprotective in the first place. You hear me? I'm _trying_ to do what's right, but I get _no _respect from you in return_._ You're _always_ putting me down, calling me irresponsible and incompetent—this time, I've had _enough!"_

He pointed his finger at his father dramatically. "And another thing—I find your words to be a tad hypocritical considering _your_ so-called 'responsibility'—getting _two_ women pregnant, _and_ going to grandfather to _weasel_ money out of him to pay for _your_ mistakes?" At the moment, he did not care that he was lumping himself together with his brother as a 'mistake'—all that mattered was saying everything he had longed to say for _months._

"You're _always_ giving me a hard time about how you and Kyrie won't give me financial support," Battler went on, "But I never _asked_ for any, nor did I ever _beg_ for any even when you said no, _nor_ will I _ever_ ask for any even now, even when I'm on the verge of losing my _mind!_ Yes, I made a mistake; yes, I should've remembered the condom; but I am _trying_ to make up for it. I'm trying to make up for everything I did wrong by doing whatever I can to give Beato and the baby the best life."

He dropped his finger and arm, feeling almost exhausted from draining his emotions. "If you don't respect my efforts," he said coldly, "Then I'll have to re-consider living with you and Kyrie. I wouldn't want my child to grow up around someone who looks down on it as a living symbol of its father's "incompetence"."

Now finished, Battler turned on his heel and stormed out of the guest house, slamming the door behind him. Rudolf could say or do nothing as much as he wanted to; he could only stand with his mouth gaping in shock.

* * *

In the meta-world, Sento said with a smile, "My brother actually has a pair of balls. Who would've ever thought it? Perhaps he isn't so incompetent after all."

"Eh, he's come a long way, I'll give the kid that much," shrugged Lambdadelta.

"I personally found him using the fact that he fathered two children out of wedlock against him to be a nice touch," said Sento as he sat up straight on the couch, "I am surprised, though, that he didn't even bring up the baby switch that led to my hypothetical death. Either it never occurred to him, or he decided it would be a tad harsh. Personally, I think it would've been the _perfect_ touch."

From the sounds of things, Lambdadelta could tell Natsuhi wasn't the only person in the family whom Sento resented. She said, "Well, it's been fun, but it's just about time for Jessica to show up. Shall I summon her?"

Sento grinned. "Oh, _please_ do."

* * *

Battler had gone back into the main mansion when he came across Beato, who was sitting alone in the parlour. She was sitting just near a window, looking out at the gray skies. He was still on something of a high after telling off his father, so he gave himself a few minutes to calm down before slowly walking in.

"Beato?" he said. "It's just me."

Beato looked over at Battler before looking back out the window.

"You know...I think Jessica has a great chance of winning without us," said Battler, trying to start up a conversation.

"If you want to talk about what happened last week, just say so, don't beat around it," said Beato sharply.

Battler sighed and walked over to where Beato was sitting. He sat next to her and said, "Beato...you're right. Let's talk about it."

* * *

No sooner had Jessica waited outside in the rose garden than had she been called back for her final round with Sento. Soon, she was standing before her smirking opponent, who said, "Ready, dear sister?"

Jessica nodded. "Ready."


	21. Chapter 21

21

Battler and Beato sat together, staring out at the gray sky for several minutes. Neither dared to speak a word, lest they ruin this quiet moment between them.

_I know I can't avoid this forever,_ thought Battler, _but why not let just a few more minutes go by, and then maybe...?_

"You said we needed to talk about last week," spoke Beato, "So talk."

"Right," muttered Battler. He drew a breath before saying, "Beato...I was being an ass."

Beato snorted, "No, really?"

Battler sighed and thought, _Okay, let's try that again._

* * *

"Before we begin our final round," spoke Sento, "let me just say it has been a pleasure fighting you. You are a most worthy opponent, dear sister."

Jessica suspected Sento had something up his sleeve. Nonetheless she said, "Thank you."

"Tell me this," said Sento, "If you did so well with your little 'team' by your side, what makes you think you will do just as well without them?"

"I know now not to let the pressure get to me," said Jessica with an air of confidence, "I will pretend there is no time limit, and let the answer come naturally."

Lambdadelta cleared her throat loudly, not wanting this to go on all day. "So," she said, "shall we begin?"

Sento nodded. "Yes, let us begin."

* * *

"Beato," Battler tried again, "I'm sorry for how I've been behaving. I know I was stifling you, and that I went too far last week, but..."

"But nothing," said Beato, almost tiredly, as though she didn't want to fight with him, "You still shouldn't have done it. Especially not to onee-sama. You know how important she is to me."

"Yes, I know," nodded Battler, "She's been a big help to you, hasn't she?"

Beato nodded. "She's helped me get most of my memories back...re-discover who I am...she's even helped me cope with this..."

"The pregnancy?" finished Battler.

Beato looked away, but Battler said, "Beato, I think that's another part of the problem. I got overprotective because I was worried about anything happening to you or the baby...and especially because I didn't want to hear any more of the old bastard's lectures on how I wasn't ready for it. In fact...maybe we should talk about that, too. About how we _really_ feel, regarding the baby."

Beato looked down, playing with her fingers for half a minute before finally sighing, "Okay." She decided she might as well get this over with.

* * *

"**In the last game, you proposed that I was told the truth of my family on my guardian's death bed,"** spoke Sento. "With that information in mind, how did I track down my family?"

This question was not too hard for Jessica; thinking ably and clearly, she spoke: _"You might've used one of the addresses to track down a certain family member. You might've used what little information you had to find out what city they were in. After acquiring this information, you might have moved out and purchased an apartment just near whichever person in the family you desired to be closer to."_

"Impressive, for someone who's been so reliant on _help,"_ remarked Lambdadelta, "Well, Sento? What do you think? Was this good enough for a solo attempt?"

"Hmm..." Sento tapped one finger on the edge of his cheek, making Jessica feel uneasy. What if he said her answer wasn't good enough? What if he poked holes through her theory?

To her relief, Sento said, **"I'll acknowledge it."**

* * *

"I don't think we ever really discussed how we _truly_ felt about this, have we?" said Battler. "We've mostly been avoiding the topic unless it was necessary, but did we _really_ take the time to talk about it?"

"Well...maybe I didn't _want_ to talk about it," said Beato stiffly.

"Why?" said Battler. "Because it would mean acknowledging something you did not _want_ to acknowledge?"

Beato smoothed out the front of her dress. "Yes."

"Hey," said Battler, leaning in, gently caressing her face, "There's no need to feel ashamed about it." He paused before adding, "Because I felt the same way."

* * *

"Next question," said Sento, "Whom could I have chosen to live near, and why? Which particular family member could have driven me to want to live close enough to keep an eye on?"

Feeling somewhat more confident in herself, Jessica said, "The most obvious choice would appear to be my mother—but we lived on an island, too far for you to keep an eye on us from. And you certainly weren't living anywhere on the island! _However, you had no reason to live near my cousins Maria or George—they held no interest to you because they had nothing to do with your near-death experience! The only other person in the family whom you would have an interest in besides my mother would have to be Uncle Rudolf, the one who came up with the idea to switch you and Battler! You moved into an apartment just near the neighbourhood Uncle Rudolf lives in with his wife and two children, Battler and Ange, and observed their daily activities to learn more about them!"_

"Heh, now you want to make me out to be a stalker," said Sento jokingly, "Why must you always think the _worst _of me, dear sister?"

"The fact that you threatened to turn Battler and Beato's child into French fries in the last game has something to do with it," said Jessica dryly.

Sento stifled a laugh, but said nonetheless, **"I'll acknowledge it."**

* * *

"We were both scared," said Battler, using one of his hands to gently hold Beato's in his, "But we didn't want to admit it to each other. Especially not me. I didn't want you to feel any more scared than you already did, so I put on a brave face for your sake."

"You didn't have to," said Beato, "I could tell you were just as scared about this as I was."

Battler lightly chuckled, "So, I guess it was all useless, then. Just the _thought_ of how I'm going to find a job or balance classes when we get off is enough to make my stomach turn." He paused before saying, "We should've been careful on our wedding night. But I guess I just wasn't thinking."

"Too late to say that _now,"_ muttered Beato, "I've never gone to school like you, Battler, so I don't have my education to worry about...but that doesn't mean I'm not worried about how I'm going to do as a mother."

"Yeah, I've kind of had a hard time picturing you as the maternal type," admitted Battler.

There was another uncomfortable silence between them.

* * *

"And now," said Sento, "this is your final question. If you answer this one correctly, you win the game. If, however, you bungle it, then my brother and his wife will have more than _just_ a broken relationship to worry about. It will be entirely up to _you_ as to whether or not this baby will live or die. If it dies, you will be the one to bear that blood on your hands. Now...are you ready for your last challenge?"

Hearing these words shook Jessica's confidence a bit. She thought back to that deal she had made with Sento at the beginning of the game...how it was a choice between her parents, Yoshiya, or that baby, and she had chosen the baby because she personally had no attachment to it. She was beginning to think she had made a selfish choice...

No. She would've been under this pressure even if it had been her parents or Yoshiya on the line. And besides, this was just another one of Sento's mind games. He was trying to put pressure on her so she'd be unable to think straight and give a wrong answer. If she approached this with a clear mind, she'd be able to do this.

Jessica looked Sento in the eye and said, "I am ready."

* * *

Beato was the one to break the silence: "Kyrie's been helping me learn how to take care of a baby. I've learned from her how to change diapers, how to heat up a bottle in case there is ever a time where the baby won't take breast milk, how to hold one..."

"It's good to know Kyrie's been a lot of help," said Battler thoughtfully, "I know she doesn't approve of this any more than my father does, but she's at least helping. Maybe I could go with you some time and learn a thing or two from her." He sighed, "I wish dad was more helpful, though, and didn't lecture us. Although...I can sort of see where he's coming from..."

He ran one hand through his hair, thinking back to his outburst. "Just before I found you, I...I let my feelings get the better of me, and told my dad how I was tired of him always berating me. I'm not sure how I feel about it just yet, though. Part of me is proud of how I finally let my feelings out, yet another part worries if it will just make him even angrier. But you know what...to hell with it already. If he's not going to support us, so be it. As he says, we should be capable of handling this by ourselves, right? Even at our age..."

Beato let out a sudden gasp.

* * *

"Here is your third and final question, dear sister," announced Sento, "How could I be reunited with my family?"

It took Jessica a couple seconds to think about it, but she came up with an answer before Sento even had a chance to throw a snarky comment at her: "Obviously, you couldn't have gone to Rokkenjima during the little...incident...in October of 1986. In fact, _what if it was on the fifth of October that your guardian died and you were still living with him? What if you managed to secure an apartment and job only a couple months after his death—say, in February of 1987?"_

It was all Sento could do to repress a smile that would put the Cheshire Cat to shame; Jessica was getting closer to unintentionally securing his own victory while thinking _she_ would be the true winner of this game. It was _hilarious._

Not noticing the twitching corners of Sento's mouth, Jessica went on: _"You might have taken this time to observe Battler, his parents, sister, and wife. You would have gotten to know quite a bit about them—including the upcoming wedding of George and Shannon! What if you overheard a conversation about it one day while, say, spying on Battler at college talking to a professor about his upcoming absence because of his cousin's wedding? What if you managed to hear the precise date he would be leaving, sneak to his house to take a quick look at the invitation before leaving, and then decided to follow Battler to the wedding?"_

_So close, dear sister, I am so very, very close..._

"_You managed to receive a copy of Uncle Rudolf's itinerary. You followed him and the rest of the family on the plane the day they were due to leave, then followed them to the boat, where upon you snuck below board and hid with the cargo! You waited until the boat had docked, and until everyone had left, before sneaking off yourself, making sure the boat did not leave with you by accident! You hid out in the forest until suppertime later that night, where you announced your presence to the family and made yourself known as the man from nineteen years ago—the one whom select few had thought was dead, but was in fact alive all this time, come to be reunited with his family!"_

Exhausted from the thrill of having launched her most spectacular theory all on her own, Jessica fell to her knees, feeling short of breath. This time, she had remembered to take her inhaler with her, and so she took it out and had just begun to use it when Sento said, "Dear sister...is this what you would call 'checkmate'?"

Jessica took the inhaler out of her mouth and stood up to her feet. "Depends...if you acknowledge it, then yes, this would be checkmate."

Sento looked over at Lambdadelta, and they smiled. Sento turned back and said, "Well, then, this is checkmate: **I'll acknowledge it."**

"Indeed," said Lambdadelta, **"I, Lambdadelta, the Witch of Certainty, acknowledge all truths in this game! Congratulations, Ushiromiya Jessica—you have won the game!"**

* * *

"What is it, Beato?" said Battler sharply.

Beato took one of Battler's hands and placed it where she felt it. She had felt the sensation of a fish swimming through her belly. She remembered Kyrie telling her about this...she had said this was what it would feel like when it happened, and would be feeling this eventually...

"That's...is that the baby...moving?" said Battler quietly, feeling a slight shift on where Beato had placed his hand.

Beato nodded fervently. "I think so. It feels like...like there really is a baby in there."

She smiled at Battler, and Battler had to smile back. For a moment, they could almost swear the clouds in the sky had cleared up and the sun was shining on them...

Then they looked out the window and realized the storm had ceased. Battler would go to find Genji, and see if they could attempt calling for a boat one last time to take them home. They didn't feel entirely ready for this...but they felt ready to take a step towards _being_ ready.

* * *

Jessica, while feeling a heavy weight being taken off her shoulders with the revelation that she had indeed won the game, couldn't help but wonder why she wasn't being dismissed just yet. And besides which, Sento looked a little _too_ happy...

"Why the serious face, dear sister?" said Sento. He walked up to Jessica and shook her hand. "We're _family._ I'm almost sorry for how I treated you during our game. It is thanks to you that I can at least be reunited with our mother."

Jessica shook Sento's hand. "Yes, that will be nice for you, I can imagine."

"Why do you look so _afraid_ of me?" said Sento almost tauntingly. "You look like I'm going to suddenly turn into the monster from your dreams!"

"No, you're _much_ too handsome!" laughed Jessica nervously.

Sento and Jessica separated hands. Sento lightly chuckled and said, "Now don't you worry about a thing, dear sister. I'm not _quite_ that heartless."

He gestured for Lambdadelta to come over to where he was, indicating he was ready to drop the bomb on his sister. She grinned and skipped over to where Sento was. He turned back to Jessica and said:

"You can be rest assured that I would never be heartless enough to actually _cause_ a miscarriage, if nothing else."

Jessica looked at Sento curiously. What was he saying? Had he forgotten their deal at the start of the game?

Sento stifled a laugh. "Wait...you didn't think that baby was _actually_ in any _danger,_ did you? You actually thought I would...well, how would Lambdadelta-sama or I even go about _doing it_ for one matter? By chucking _marshmallows_ at Beato's stomach?"

"Wait," said Jessica, not believing what she was hearing, "you mean to tell me that the baby was _never_ in any danger _at all?"_

"Nope!" said Lambdadelta with a cheerful flick of her short, blonde hair. "Not even for a second!"

"But you can't really blame us for leading you to that conclusion," said Sento in a faux-sympathetic voice, dropping the second bomb:

"After all, if we had decided to go with no deal and simply said straight out what it was we were _really_ up to, you would've _never_ agreed to bring me back to take revenge on our mother."

Jessica's mind drew a blank. She could only think a string of: _What...wait...what...what is he..._

"Yeah, you see, I'm a bit of a sore loser," spoke up Lambdadelta, clearly enjoying the look on Jessica's face just as much as Sento, "And I didn't appreciate how Battler not only won the game, but also managed to _weasel_ Beato out of my grasp, which resulted in Bern leaving me. So I approached good ol' Sento here, and gave him the _perfect_ opportunity to gain revenge on his family. But it was _reeeallly_ risky on his part, though; if you had lost even one question, nothing would've happened to the _baby,_ but _Sento_ would've vanished from existence and be exiled to the world where he died from his little trip off the cliff!"

She giggled, "But that was a risk he was willing to take! In fact, all I did was tell him of how we could both gain our own revenge, but _he_ was the one who came up with the idea to make a little _game_ out of it—he suggested we not only take you and make you _prove_ his existence, but stretch it out over a period of time so you would have enough time to gather support to help you come up with the right answers to his riddles, and eventually be able to answer them on your own like you did just now! He knew you and your team would be smart enough to figure it all out, and it would lead to your victory, which will now lead to Sento killing your family!"

_What...wait...what..._

Sento's usual smirk grew wider at the sight of Jessica's bulging eyes. "Oh yes, you see, that was part of Lambdadelta's plan," he said, "On the eve of George's wedding, I am to carry out the murders as they _should_ have been done in October of 1986. It is I who will initiate the next infinite loop of death and destruction—this time, for _all_ eternity."

"And when _that_ happens," said Lambdadelta, "I will have Bernkastel in my grasp—forever!"

She let out a cackle confirming she was indeed a most cruel witch.

_Wait...what...no..._

"Before I let you go, dear sister," said Sento, now with a victorious, contemptuous look on his face, "Allow me to thank you for saving me from fading to non-existence, as I _would_ have had you not answered any questions correctly, for giving me the opportunity to being reunited with my family..._and_ for being the catalyst of the mass murder of our own family! Until that time..._see you again!"_

He and Lambdadelta had themselves a good laugh as they released a stunned, nearly broken, Jessica into the real world.

* * *

The boat had arrived for the family by the morning of the next day. Having anticipated it after Genji's fateful call, just about everyone was packed and ready to leave.

Battler had just finished packing up his suitcase in the cousins' room when Rudolf came in, looking uncomfortable. The two men had been avoiding each other since yesterday, after what had happened.

"Got everything?" said Rudolf.

Battler nodded. "Yes."

"Good," said Rudolf. He paused before saying, "Battler...about what you said yesterday..."

"I felt I _had_ to say it, dad," said Battler, ready for whatever his father was going to throw at him this time, "I know you're only worried about how I'm going to do, but I don't appreciate you calling me irresponsible or incompetent every chance you get. At least _trust_ me to do this."

He turned his back to his father and sat down on the bed to close the suitcase. As he did, he realized Rudolf was now sitting next to him, looking as though there was so much he wanted to say but was finding a different way to say it from how it was usually said.

"Battler," Rudolf began, "I just want you to realize that this is _not_ a good situation at all. I had graduated long before you were even conceived. But you, you're still in your first year of university, soon to be second. You just made it through high school, with only your grandparents to guide you. You have a potentially great future ahead of you. But now that future will have to wait for a baby..."

He sighed and shook his head. "I am trying to say you are taking an overly-optimistic and naive approach to this. You must understand that the next few years of university will be the hardest of your life because you will have to find the time to manage taking care of a baby _and_ going to school. Even after graduation, when your baby won't be a baby anymore, it will still be a huge part of your life. And you're still so _young."_

Battler nodded. "I know," he said quietly, "I know I should be thinking more realistically. I just don't want to go into this thinking everything will be a disaster. I want to try to face this head-on and be ready for it."

"You won't be ready if you think the baby will magically take care of everything," warned Rudolf, "I want you to know that."

"But still," said Battler, "do you think you could be a _bit_ more supportive? If not financially, then...emotionally? Because..." He let out a heavy sigh, "This is really hard on me, and..."

"I understand," said Rudolf. "I'm still not happy about this. But I will re-think most of my words from now on."

There was a moment of silence between the two men before Battler said, "Well...I guess we'd better get going."

* * *

Jessica was the only one not to go down to the docks to say good-bye to everyone. She had claimed she wasn't feeling well and stayed in her room, where she had been since yesterday, coming out only once to tell Battler and Beato she had won the game and the baby would be just fine. She hadn't told them about Sento, of course; she had still been in a bit of a daze.

Even now, she knew there was no use in warning the family of something she could not prove would happen—how could she explain it?

Then again...that was Sento's reason for revealing it to her, wasn't it? To gloat about how there was nothing she could do about his plan to take revenge on the family.

Jessica let out a cry of frustration and slammed her fists down on her pillow repeatedly, thinking, _I hate him, I hate him, I HATE him..._

She finally stoppedand sobbed, thinking about how she would eventually have no choice but to watch her family repeatedly be brutally murdered and revived in an eternal June...just like in that book she had read a while ago...

Would Yoshiya be one of the casualties? If so, then...

Jessica took a few more minutes to calm down before she got up off the bed. She would sneak to her parents' room to get something important before she could initiate her goal, lest she deal with the consequences...

* * *

Jessica found Yoshiya tidying up the now vacant room the cousins had once shared. So much laughter...so much _joy_ in _life..._why did this have to happen?

_Why?_

Jessica felt a tight knot in her stomach as she walked up to Yoshiya and said, "Y—Yoshiya..."

Yoshiya looked up from making the bed. "Yes, Jessica?"

Jessica lost the words and looked away, her cheeks flushing ever so slightly. She wanted this, she really wanted this from the bottom of her heart...she had actually wanted it for some time, but it wasn't until now, when she realized how life was too precious to waste, that she had decided to go for it. So why did she have trouble saying it _now?_

"Jessica," said Yoshiya, walking over to the trembling blonde, "is something the matter? Is this about the reason you've been staying in bed?"

"I..." Jessica swallowed, her mouth dry. "Yoshiya...I...I've been thinking...we're really in love, aren't we?"

Yoshiya squeezed her hand. "Of course we are," he said gently, "It doesn't feel real, somehow...it feels like a good dream for me personally...one where I don't have to worry about being furniture, and just _being."_

That did it; Jessica reached up her sleeve, pulled the small packet out, and placed it in Yoshiya's hand. Yoshiya had to blink twice to make sure he was seeing what he thought he was seeing...and indeed, it was a packet with a condom inside it.

He looked up into Jessica's eyes...those sweet eyes...

"Jessica," he said softly.

"Yoshiya," breathed Jessica. She wrapped her arms around Yoshiya and pulled him in for a deep kiss. The door had already been closed and locked behind her; she had no worries about anyone walking in on them while they did...this...

No one would come into the guest house. No one would see Yoshiya gently lowering Jessica to the bed. No one would see the layers of clothing falling onto the floor one by one until there were no layers left to take off.

No one would see Jessica assisting Yoshiya in removing her bra, a gesture showing she felt comfortable and at ease with him seeing her in such vulnerability.

No one would see Jessica awkwardly but steadily helping Yoshiya secure the device that would prevent her from ending up in the same situation as Beato.

No one would see them take each other's virginity in a delicate stroke; no one would hear them sigh and whisper each other's names as they realized what it felt like to consummate one's love.

And no one would see them lying together in bed in each other's arms in the aftermath for the next ten minutes before getting up and dressing, knowing their relationship had gone far beyond a few simple strokes...and only one of them knowing this might possibly have been their final chance.

* * *

**A/N: Now, I could take a course of one of two actions: Either end this right here on a cliff-hanger, or continue on with the story to see if Sento and Lambda's plan will succeed. Somehow, I think my readers would be pissed off if I took the former action, so stay tuned for the thrilling third act...**


	22. Chapter 22

22

_June 28, 1987_

The seagulls were crying as they soared through the air above the boat headed to its destination. Their cries on _this_ day sounded rather...peculiar. Their squaks came in an almost repetitive pattern, making that one sound over and over. It was almost as though they were somehow _warning_ the people on the boat of impending danger.

Battler shook this silly idea out of his head as he sat below deck with his relatives, catching up on all that had been done since they last met up.

"So how have ya been, Battler?" said Hideyoshi. "Yer father tells me you've been busy preparin' for that baby."

"Oh _yes!"_ sighed Battler, feeling exhausted just _thinking_ about it. "I'm taking two courses this semester for now, but we'll see as time goes on. Right now, they are in the afternoon, giving me time to go to work in the morning—I have the morning shift in the local record store. The pay's...decent enough."

"Will it be enough to support the baby, though?" asked George.

"I've put enough away to save up for whatever the baby may need," replied Battler, "I'm looking into possibly finding another job, but right now I am saving money however I can. Ever since March, I've been working on building the baby's crib from scratch."

"Yes, and as I recall, you were inclined to use the Lord's name in vain more than once," chuckled Rudolf. He remembered the occasions where he would go downstairs to find Battler screaming and swearing upon accidentally hammering his thumb against the table. It would've been almost amusing, but he knew better than to laugh at his son's efforts, and eventually gave Kyrie the suggestion of helping Battler build the rest of the crib. This paid off in the end, and the crib was finished and painted at the end of May—had Battler continued to gone alone, he would've still been crying over how he couldn't make the legs even.

Battler only rolled his eyes and said, "I've used some of my money to buy diapers and a change table. Beato, Ange, and I have been furnishing the baby's room together using whatever we have in the house in the way of curtains or decorations."

"I'm glad to hear you're better prepared for this," said George, giving Battler a pat on the back.

Battler only shrugged. He was still feeling uneasy about this, but he was _slightly_ more confident than he had been when he had first heard the news. It felt like it was only yesterday Beato had told him about the baby, and now they were down to the last few weeks...or possibly even the last few _days._

The doctor had confirmed Beato's due date to be the twenty-eighth of June, but had said it wasn't unusual for babies to be born either a few days before or after the estimated date. In fact, she had said, it was more common for the first baby to be born a bit late. Battler hoped she had been right in this case. He had heard Dr. Nanjo wouldn't be here for the wedding, and they would be on the island for three days. If Beato were to go into labour during that time, who would deliver the baby?

Speaking of which...where was Beato?

Battler remembered she was up on deck. He stood up and said, "Excuse me." He slowly made his way up to the deck, feeling uneasy about the motions of the boat. At least the boat was going slightly slower than usual.

He saw Beato standing near the railing, looking out to sea. She now looked the part of a pregnant woman perfectly. On a day in April, her belly had almost e_xploded_ over night, and she looked as though she were carrying a basketball rather than a baby. Of course, he knew better than to comment on it; in her third trimester, Beato had grown grouchy and irritable as the hormones swung in at full force, to say nothing of the fact that she was tired of being pregnant.

Battler slowly walked up to her, but stood away from the railing. "Hey, Beato," he said, "Aren't you going to come below deck?"

"You know I _like _the sea, _Battler,"_ snapped Beato, "You just don't want to stay with me because you're _scared."_

"Well...you know _I_ don't like it, either..." said Battler slowly, realizing he had accidentally said the wrong thing _again._ "But I guess I could stay for a couple minutes; we're not going _that_ fast."

He slowly walked across the deck, but let out a yelp upon a slight rough wave that rocked the boat. He fell down the deck, where upon he heard Beato chuckling.

Indignant, he stood up and said, "I'll bet _she_ doesn't think the ride's all _that_ great, either."

"For your information, she enjoyed the ride on the way _from_ the island just fine," said Beato, "and she is currently sleeping."

Battler changed the subject: "You know, it's been a while since we last talked about names. What about 'Sayaka'?"

Beato shrugged. "It's okay, I guess. But," she said sharply, "we are _not_ naming our daughter after your favourite female character from that book!"

"Hey, I wasn't going to _say_ it," said Battler defensively, "And what's wrong with 'Rena', anyway?"

Beato sighed, now switching over to melancholic, "Nothing; I just have a few names in mind."

"Oh?" said Battler, daring to take one, small step forward. "Which ones?"

Beato hesitated. "Battler," she said, "what would you say if I said I was thinking of carrying the Western name tradition into the next generation?"

"I'm fine with anything as long as it's nothing like _my_ name," said Battler. He laughed, "Sometimes, I think the old bastard accidentally took one of my mother's pain killers and was still high on it when he named me, ihihi! So what do you have in mind?"

Beato looked out at the sea, thinking back to the names she had come across and liked. There had been a few that appealed to her, but there was one that she had grown fond of. "It's an Italian name."

"So you want to pay homage to your heritage, huh?" said Battler.

Beato nodded. "Yes. _Isabella_—what do you think?"

"_Ushiromiya Isabella..._eh, too much of a mouthful," shrugged Battler.

For a minute, he briefly worried he had said the wrong thing, but was relieved when Beato sighed, "You're right."

"Maybe we could _shorten_ it," suggested Battler, "Like, I don't know...Bella?"

Beato shook her head.

"Isabel?" suggested Battler.

Beato did not shake her head, but continued to look out to sea. Battler suddenly felt the boat bump across another rough wave, and he let out a cry and fell to the ground. He said weakly, "I'll be below deck if you need me."

Beato did not pay attention to this, or to the sound of Battler's feet fading away. She was thinking about Battler's suggestion about shortening the name. 'Bella' sounded too distant from 'Isabella' for her personal liking, but 'Isabel' sounded close enough...in fact, it almost sounded...perfect.

"_Isabel,"_ Beato whispered, running one hand on her belly, _"Ushiromiya Isabel..."_

* * *

Jessica had dreaded the approach of this day. She had done whatever she could to keep her mind off of it. And now, she could no longer avoid it.

"He'll be coming today," Jessica muttered as she stood out in the rose garden. She knew _he_ was coming. And she was the only one who could ever know. She knew she should've spent time preparing for how to fight him if—_when_—necessary, but it was too late to think about that now. Maybe her brass knuckles would be enough...hopefully.

"Did you say something, Jessica?" said a voice behind her.

Jessica nearly jumped a foot in the air and spun around. She let out a breath of relief when it was only Natsuhi, who said, "You've been jumpy for a week now. Is something wrong?"

_Yes, actually—the son whom you thought you had killed will be returning to kill us all for eternity. And I know this because I was stupid enough to make a deal with him in the meta-world, and it's my fault we're all going to die._

"I...I'm just excited, that's all," said Jessica quickly, hoping she wasn't on the verge of another asthma attack, "I'm looking forward to the wedding. I'm especially looking forward to being Shannon's bridesmaid, and to seeing how a Western wedding is done. I've only read about in books and seen it a few times on TV."

Natsuhi nodded and smiled. "Yes, it will be a joyful occasion indeed. You will find the occasion all the more joyful when you find the young man you long to spend the rest of your life with."

Jessica decided to keep silent on this. She already _had_ met the young man whom she longed to marry someday...if or when she could convince her parents to _let_ them, that is.

She and Yoshiya had only slept together once, that faithful day when everyone could at last leave. They hadn't had the _time_ since then. That had been the only day where they had been lucky. She would try to take a peek at his schedule to find his time off, but she was usually at school during that time; even when he was working in the guest house, those would be the times she'd be expected to have her lessons. She was slightly disappointed, but not terribly. Like many teenagers, she had her hormonal urges, but knew that it wasn't the act of sleeping together that was important—it was being able to express their love in private, which they continued to do through various small talks and kisses in the hall.

Natsuhi sighed, "At least it's Eva who has to deal with her son marrying a servant. Shannon is a nice girl, but George should've respected his mother's wishes for him to be with another girl. Even if they are in love..."

Jessica felt uneasy, and now it wasn't just because of Sento's impending arrival—it was because she was realizing that if she ever wanted to be happy with Yoshiya, she would either have to find a way to run away from the island with him, or convince her parents he was worthy of her affection. She still remembered the reactions of her parents when Battler had mistakenly believed she was the pregnant one, and announced so to the rest of the table; she could only imagine how much worse they would be if it ever happened for real, making her all the more thankful she had remembered where her parents kept their supply of condoms (having stumbled upon them by accident once).

"Mom," said Jessica, "do you think we should go down to greet them? They might be here any minute now, so..."

"It will still be a while yet," said Natsuhi, "We will let the servants go greet them."

As Natsuhi and Jessica began to turn to go back in, Jessica noticed Yoshiya walking just out of the guest house and up to the roses. The two young lovers made brief eye contact before breaking it and moving on, knowing they could not take risks now.

But to Jessica, waiting in silence for an uncertain future, was risky within itself.

* * *

Below the deck, a red-headed young man hid where the cargo was stored. Any minute now, the boat would stop...it was gradually slowing down now...

"I have looked forward to this day," he whispered to himself, "Now at last, I will take my revenge for that day you decided I just wasn't worth having around..._mother._ Not tonight—it would look too suspicious for it to be done tonight. And why should I want to ruin a wedding, such a beautiful occasion? No, I think I shall wait until just after the wedding..._then_ I will strike."

Slower...slower...a complete stop.

"Ah, there we go," said Sento with a smirk, waiting for the footsteps to fade. "We've stopped at last. I cannot _wait_ to meet you again, _dear sister."_


	23. Chapter 23

23

Battler felt somewhat nostalgic as he began to unpack in the cousins' room. How many times had he been in here, laughing and conversing with his cousins? How many times had he attempted to forget his worries about life while playing cards, or whatever board game Maria or Ange managed to find in the closet with enough searching?

Yes, it felt great to have everyone reunited once more.

"Uu, Beato!" said Maria excitedly upon realizing just how large Beato had become. "Is the baby coming?"

"Eventually," sighed Beato as she sat down on the bed. She winced and rubbed her back. Her backaches were becoming more and more frequent to her disliking.

"Uu, can Maria feel it?" asked Maria.

Beato nodded, still rubbing her back. Maria climbed onto the bed and ran one hand over her belly. She suddenly exclaimed, "Uu! I think the baby just kicked!"

Beato had most certainly _felt_ it kick. The very first time the baby had started kicking had been wonderful and magical; afterwards, it became irritating. She was tempted to kick _back._

"The baby's not kicking as much anymore," said Ange, who helped Battler with the unpacking, "She's sleeping a lot, now."

"Ah, you're having a daughter?" said George with a smile.

"What do you _think_ the pronoun 'she' generally means?" snapped Beato. "That it's a Stake of Purgatory?"

Battler gave George a warning glance. He had written to George about how it was especially important not to test Beato when she was in one of her moods. Maria, too, was getting the message; she removed her hand and jumped off the bed to go unpack.

Battler realized that Jessica was the only one not attempting to greet everyone, and was just standing over by the window, sighing. He walked over to her and said, "Jessica...is something wrong?"

"No, nothing," sighed Jessica in a melancholic tone, "Nothing's wrong. I'm just tired."

She was looking out the window in hopes of getting a clear view of the forest. Was Sento there already? Was he waiting for the night to fall, as a fox waited for its prey to come into view?

Well, it wouldn't hurt to check, right? Maybe she could find him and...

She sighed once more, not knowing just _what_ she would do to him. She was torn between tying him up and hiding him somewhere, somehow talking him out of it, and killing him. Part of her didn't want to go for the third option, but it was certainly more reliant than the other two. Someone would be bound to find a bound and gagged person in the forest sooner or later, and he would claim Jessica was some mad woman who had trapped him out of jealousy. And would words alone be enough to talk him out of it?

"I think I'll walk for a little bit," said Jessica, walking at a fast pace out of the room, and onward to the woods.

* * *

Jessica had never found the forest to be all that unnerving. Perhaps this was just because she had never really been given the opportunity to explore it, with all her lessons and studying. She wasn't scared even now as she began to search for Sento.

She wasn't sure where exactly he might be hiding. He couldn't have gone very far, lest he lose sight of the mansion; yet he probably wasn't exactly close by, lest someone spot him in the bushes.

She looked behind every tree she came across, and into the branches, but saw nothing, and heard nothing. She was beginning to remember that line of thinking Aunt Kyrie often spoke of—"flip the chessboard". See it from your opponent's perspective. Think what you would do if you were them.

"If I were Sento, where would I be?" muttered Jessica. "I'd have to be hiding _somewhere,_ waiting for the right time to come out."

She came across a small pond. Just to be certain he wasn't hiding underwater, she picked up a nearby stick and lightly poked it through the light blue surface, which rippled upon touch. She began stabbing through the water, but felt nothing.

_This is getting ridiculous,_ she thought, getting increasingly frustrated, _Sento has to be hiding somewhere! He didn't just vanish into thin air!_

"You'll never catch any fish _that_ way."

Jessica sharply turned her head. She had heard it. She had heard _his_ voice. He was nearby...he couldn't be very far now...

"I've only gone fishing once or twice in my life," spoke the smooth voice of Sento as Jessica slowly turned her head, looking for a trace or even a scrap that would give his location away, "And even I can say your methods are fairly primitive, to say nothing of the fact that there are no fish in that pond."

She took a few steps back, resolving to be as silent as possible. She heard no particular distance or direction from which his voice was coming from; he could be _anywhere._

"I should know," spoke Sento's voice once more, "I tried it myself."

_What if he's throwing his voice? What if he's actually farther away than he sounds to be?_

With this thought in mind, Jessica slowly began to take a few steps to her left, gambling now on the possibility of Sento being in this direction. Obviously, he couldn't be too far if she could hear him speaking. But why choose to speak at all and risk giving himself away? This _had_ to be another mind game of his.

"Fish are quite tricky to catch, aren't they?" said the bemused voice of Sento. The fact that he was speaking of fishing as though he were giving her friendly advice while she was trying to catch him made this all the more maddening.

"I'm on to you, Sento!" Jessica called out, taking a few more steps forward, slipping on her brass knuckles. "When I find you, you'd _better_ hope there's a doctor on this island!"

She heard Sento laugh, "Dear sister, of _course_ I know there's no doctor on the island! Do you take me for a fool?"

His laugh sounded _further_ away. Stay calm, Jessica told herself, he's still throwing his voice to keep you off track; he's not very far now.

"But no matter," spoke Sento's voice, which grew more distant the further Jessica travelled, "I know a bit of first-aid from that doctor who raised me."

_He changes his voice every time I move. He is from a distance where he is watching me!_

Jessica took a few steps to the side. That's right, she realized, I'm not too far into the woods; there's a path just outside.

She ran a few steps forward, ignoring Sento's taunting reminiscent of learning basic first-aid. She stopped for a few seconds, then silently crept out of the woods, and onto the path just surrounding the rocky cliffs on the island. She looked to her left and right.

No sign of Sento.

"Wherever you are," called out Jessica, "I will find you. And if not now, then you'll have to deal with me after dinner tonight."

She waited a few minutes, expecting some sort of taunting but true reply about how she couldn't deal with Sento after dinner because she would look too suspicious. No reply came.

She waited another five minutes.

Still nothing.

Jessica took one last glance over her shoulders before running down the path to the mansion, hoping she would be able to somehow deal with Sento later on.

Had she bothered to look over the edge of the path, however, she would've noticed Sento casually standing just down on the rocky beach below, having climbed all the way down after hearing Jessica's foot steps out on the trail.

"What a shame," said Sento with a smile, "I would've loved to see her _try_ to climb down here."

* * *

"Will this jar do, Beato?" asked Maria as she placed the heavy jar of pickles onto the cousins' bed.

"Yes, Maria, thank you very much," said Beato with a smile. It took her a bit of struggling, but eventually she managed to open up the jar and take out one, large pickle to take a bite out of.

"She wants pickles all the time," Ange explained to George.

"You don't say," said George amusedly, wondering if this was in store for him and Shannon a few years from now.

"You think my wanting pickles is _funny?"_ snapped Beato.

"No, he doesn't!" said Battler quickly. "In fact, uh..."

"If I were still a witch," spoke Beato, "I could turn you over to the goats _just_ like that, so I'd suggest you _shut up."_

Ange winced and said, "She's also really cranky a lot now."

Beato snatched the jar, stood up, and waddled over to the bathroom, where she slammed the door shut behind her. After a few seconds, there was the sound of sobbing.

"Uu, is Beato okay?" asked Maria worriedly.

"Yeah, she just gets like this," sighed Battler, used to Beato's mood swings, "Kyrie said it's the hormones, or something like that."

Just then, Jessica came running through the door, panting and sounding as though she would need to take another puff in a minute or two.

"How was your walk, Jessica?" asked George. "Do you feel better now?"

In truth, she only felt more agitated. At the moment, she would like nothing more than to punch Sento in the face as hard as she could with her brass knuckles on.

Outside, she said, "Yeah...a little bit..."

She coughed and felt her chest tighten. She quickly took out her inhaler, wondering if Sento would wait for dinner to reveal himself...or if he might just show up at lunch...

* * *

Sento crouched down in the rose garden, spying on the cousins coming out of the guest house and walking over to the main mansion. "Sorry, dear sister, but I just couldn't _wait_ for dinner," he smirked, "I'm feeling hungry."

After all, him hiding out until supper was only a mere suggestion, right?

And he was indeed hungry—not just for food, but for revenge.

* * *

Beato was much calmer and more serene at the table during lunch, but Battler knew better than to test her mood as he sat next to her. He wondered if her mood would change for the better or worse once she had the baby. He had heard of women getting depressed for a short while after the birth of their children.

Would Beato be depressed? Or would she feel depression _and_ fear?

"So tell us, Rudolf," spoke up Krauss, "Were people every bit as judgmental as you kept claiming they would be?"

His eyes gestured over to Beato. Rudolf said slowly, "Well...somewhat..."

"They mostly whispered," spoke Battler, poking at the sautéed asparagus on his plate. When he had told his professors of his situation, they were polite to his face and wished him luck, but he could overhear them talking about how "disappointed" they were to see "such a potentially bright young student throw away his future".

Well, it was better than some of his classmates; after a large Beato had visited him on campus a few times, word had eventually spread that Ushiromiya Battler was becoming a father at the age of nineteen. Instead of actually _saying_ anything, however, he would be greeted with uncomfortable stares and pitying looks. He had a few students come up to him to ask if the rumours were true; when he answered yes, they would give a flustered "Oh" and carry on with their business. Still, no one needed to say a word to show how much they looked down on Battler for it; he could get the message loud and clear from their expressions alone.

Only ruder were the strangers who would see Battler and Beato shopping together for diapers, clothes, and a change table. He could hear them whispering quite a few choice words about their age. He hated to admit it, but his father had been right: People took their age into account _very_ much, and trying to explain they were married just made it worse. He didn't even ask how people at Rudolf's workplace reacted, if he had said anything at all.

Rudolf changed the subject: "So Krauss, how has Jessica been doing lately?"

Now, Krauss and Natsuhi both had to smile. "Jessica has been doing just excellent," said Krauss proudly, "She graduated at the top of her class, and is currently attending one of the best community colleges in the area. And she celebrated her nineteenth birthday last month, looking at her most beautiful."

Jessica smiled lightly, still wondering if this nice, peaceful moment was going to be interrupted any second now.

"Just think," said Natsuhi, tears of joy brimming her eyes, "In just a little over two years, Jessica will be celebrating coming-of-age day. She has made us _so _proud over the past few months."

"Even if I've been a bit...disorderly?" said Jessica, knowing now would be a bad time to announce that not only had she lost her virginity to someone whom her parents looked down on, but had absolutely no regret for it.

"You have learned to conduct yourself as of late, and for that, we are proud," said a beaming Krauss.

Battler couldn't help but wonder if that remark had been a veiled jab at how Rudolf's own child hadn't exactly done much to make his parents proud.

He had only dwelled on this for a few seconds, however, when the door slowly began to open, causing everyone's heads to turn, wondering who could be coming in now. In spite of Jessica's hopes that it was just Genji coming in to make an announcement, she knew who it really was.

And she was right.

In came Sento, looking almost intimidating. He glanced over at Natsuhi as he spoke:

"I am Ushiromiya Sento, born to Ushiromiya Rudolf and his former wife, Asumu, taken in—and then nearly killed—by Ushiromiya Natsuhi."


	24. Chapter 24

24

Stunned by this stranger's revelation (with the exception of Battler, Beato, and Jessica), the adults around the table buzzed furiously about this man. Who was he? Why had he come here? Was it to demand his share of the inheritance? Or to exact revenge on the people whom he felt responsible for his lifelong negligence?

"_LIES!"_ burst out Natsuhi, who jumped from her seat and cried out, "There isn't a _word_ of truth to such accusations! It's all malicious slander to _ruin_ the family name! How dare you say such _disgraceful_ things about—"

"Natsuhi," said Krauss sharply, standing up to place a hand on Natsuhi's shoulder. She turned to him looking like a deer about to face an oncoming car, not knowing whether to run away from it or just stand there and hope it would stop.

"Natsuhi," said Krauss more gently, his face softening up, "If this man is who he claims to be...then we might as well be as honest as we can."

"B—but," Natsuhi tried to say, but Krauss spoke out to Sento, "Is there any way for you guarantee you are whom you say you are?"

As if expecting these words, Sento pulled out a series of papers bound together, which he unrolled, and then displayed for the entire family to see. "These contain my files—my birth certificate, my adoption papers from either times I was taken in, my medical records—everything."

He walked up to a quite humiliated Natsuhi and placed the files into her hands. She could hardly bear to read any of them, but she forced herself to go through each of them one by one, each confirming her worst fears: The child from almost twenty years ago—the child whom she thought was dead—had returned.

By the time she was finished going through all of them, she was trembling too hard to sort the papers properly or place them down. Sento saw this and removed the papers from her hands, rolled them back up, and shoved them back into his pocket.

"Do you have anything to say for this?" spoke Eva, who was clearly enjoying seeing Natsuhi struggle like a mouse caught in a trap.

"I...I..." Natsuhi swallowed, looking over to Krauss, who held her hand in his. He smiled at her, indicating he would be by her side no matter what Sento said about the family.

Natsuhi bowed her head in shame. "So you're back," she said flatly, "After all those years...after what happened on that cliff..."

"Cliff?" said Eva, no longer bothering to hide a contemptuous smile. "Whatever happened on a _cliff?_"

"I...there was an incident...and..." Natsuhi's voice faltered.

"It was an accident," Krauss was quick to say, "There was a servant who attended to the infant daily. One day, she and the infant both disappeared, and we discovered a little while later she had accidentally tripped and fallen off the cliff with the baby in tow." He lightly squeezed Natsuhi's hand.

"That's what I was told, anyway," shrugged Sento, "But in any event, it does not matter—what matters now is that I am, at last, reunited with my family."

"How did you get here?" said Battler, sounding like a police officer interrogating a suspect. "I don't remember ever seeing _you_ on-board with us."

Sento paced to the front of the room. "Well, I just happened to find out about George's wedding—congratulations on that, by the way—and my curiosity got the better of me. And so, I decided to follow the family down to the boat and stow away on it. I hid for a bit in the forest, but then I got a little hungry, so I came here."

"How exactly did you find out about the wedding anyway?" said Battler, not once dropping his stern tone.

Sento looked over at a chair in the corner. "Mind if I take a seat first?" he said.

Battler nodded, not dropping his glare on Sento as he went across the room to get himself a chair and seat himself right in between Battler and an uncomfortable-looking Rudolf. Why was Sento here? What had _really_ happened when Jessica had supposedly 'won'? Had she been keeping a bit of information from Battler?

"To answer your question," said Sento, now seated, "I must provide a bit of background first: For as long as I can remember, I have lived in an orphanage—the Wakahisa Home for Children, to be exact. I wasn't treated _horribly,_ but those put in charge of it were rather...distant. When I was around seven, I was taken in by a kindly doctor with no children of his own."

Battler spoke up: "That kind of sounds like the back story of the villain in my favourite novel, ihihi!"

Annoyed at having his life story interrupted, Sento said, "I suppose so." He cleared his throat. "Anyway...this doctor was kind, but not exactly 'there' in regards of how to provide a child with affection. But he was certainly preferable to that stifling orphanage. He home-schooled me himself, and would actually take me with him to work on a few occasions. His name...was Hashimoto."

Rudolf nearly choked on his sip of water.

"Being the naughty little boy that I was," Sento went on, "I had a habit of going through some of his files out of boredom whenever he left me at home while he went to work. One day, at the tender age of ten, I stumbled across a most _interesting_ file—that of Ushiromiya Asumu, and the circumstances surrounding the birth of her child."

Now Rudolf looked _very_ uncomfortable.

"It was like something out of a novel—gave birth to a healthy son who was given away to another relative while his half-brother was switched in his place. There were further details on her medical history, but at the time those held no interest to me personally—no, what struck me as most interesting was that the name of the child had my exact name—or at least, the same _reading_ as my name. With my curiosity peeked, I dared to ask Dr. Hashimoto about it when he came back later in the evening. Now, he grew quite flustered and explained the concept of 'doctor-patient confidentiality', and how he couldn't tell me because of his loyalty with his client. At the time, I accepted this explanation, though I was always curious to know more.

"During my teen years, Dr. Hashimoto's health began to fail. It was on my nineteenth birthday—almost a year ago—that he found out he hadn't very long to live. So he chose that moment to tell me the story of my birth, and the baby-swap which he played a part in. He did not know the full details behind what happened with my adoptive mother; all he knew was that there had been some sort of an incident involving me falling off a cliff. He had said that he felt it was important for me to know the truth about my family before he died. And it was on his deathbed—exactly six months ago—that he gave me the various addresses necessary to track down various members.

"Which brings me to the answer to your question, Battler: Rather than directly approach you or your father, I decided to get myself a small apartment just near your neighbourhood. I've been spending the past few months...keeping an eye...on you and your familial habits."

"So I _was_ right!" exclaimed Battler. "Someone _was_ following me to college every day!"

"Brother, you make it sound like _stalking,"_ said Sento, choosing to display his smirk only in his head, lest he give himself away, "I was just...curious."

"As well he should be," muttered Natsuhi, still unable to look around the table, "After all...he was abandoned by his own family."

Rudolf tugged at the edge of his collar, suddenly wishing Sento was sitting _far_ away from him. He forced himself to look his other son in the eye and say, "So, uh...you've, uh...you're back..."

"Father," spoke Sento, using the word 'father' in a way that left Rudolf feeling scared, "I would not blame you for resenting me in the slightest. After all, I am a living reminder of how Asumu tricked you. You see, I did some...further researching...and I found out about how Asumu had convinced you condoms weren't necessary because she had been told she could never have children, in spite of her medical records—and my very existence—suggesting otherwise."

Rudolf laughed nervously, his eyes darting around the table. He heard his other son say a flat, dark, _"What."_

He looked into the angry eyes of Battler. "So," he spat, "it's okay for you to give me a hard time about _forgetting_ to use protection even though you _knowingly _didn't even _bother?_ Screw this!"

Battler shot up from his seat and shoved it back in before storming over to the door. Rudolf stood up and said warningly, _"Do not_ talk to me that way, _young man,_ especially not after how I've been willing to put up with—"

Battler slammed the door behind him. Rudolf almost went after him, but Kyrie said, "Rudolf, dear, I think you should sit down and give Battler some time to think." Even so, it was clear she did not approve of this recent revelation. She had suspected it herself for many, many years.

Rudolf looked over to Sento, who had turned his attention to the patterns on the table cloth. "Sento," he began, trying to find the rights words to explain his side and turn his other son against him, "What you have to understand is that Asumu found out about her pregnancy before Kyrie learned of hers. I _had_ to marry Asumu to uphold the family name. If Kyrie had found out first, she would've been the one I married. Either way, I was caught between a wife whom I was responsible for, and a lover who would be left to face the...responsibility...alone. And besides which, Kyrie's family was especially harsh about these sort of matters."

He looked over at Kyrie before looking back to Sento and continued: "What I did was best for everyone...by giving you to your grandfather to take to Natsuhi...and by taking my son with Kyrie and presenting him to Asumu as our own...I was sparing Kyrie the wrath of her family, and I was offering Natsuhi a chance to be a mother...even if, from what I'm told, she took it badly."

"_Of course_ _I took it badly!"_ cried out Natsuhi, who now looked up and shot Rudolf an angry glance from across the table. "To be told that I was no longer expected to bear children...do you have any idea how _humiliating_ that is to a woman? How it felt for _me_ to hold a child that I hadn't given birth to? _You_ just _used me_ as a _pawn_ to escape having to look after _two_ children!"

She buried her face in her hands and sobbed for nearly a minute before she let out, "All that guilt...that _guilt_ I lived with for almost twenty years...for _nothing."_

Natsuhi took a shuddery breath before bringing herself to look across the table once more. "It was nearly a month after Sento's supposed death," she spoke with a trembling voice, "that Krauss and I were told that our efforts to try for a child had not been in vain, and that after so many years of unsuccessful attempts, I was finally going to have my _own_ child...my dear Jessica."

She looked over at Jessica and said, "From that very moment I found out...I vowed to be the best mother I could be...to _love_ my child in the same way I should've loved one whom I thought had died."

Jessica felt touched by these sentiments herself. "Mom," she choked out.

Natsuhi almost slumped forward and sighed, "At least Eva had no difficulty with hers...at least she could have a child almost right away..."

"It wasn't any easier for me, either," said Eva almost tearfully, "I love George...but father's words never left me about how I needed to learn to be more lady-like, and wasn't enough of a woman...and there were times where I felt the pressure of those words get to me...that I wasn't adequate enough for this...that I shouldn't even _be_ a mother to such a deserving boy."

She looked almost on the verge of breaking down, but she controlled herself and said, "I went through severe post-partum depression for _quite_ some time. With the help of Hideyoshi, I managed to deal with how I felt." She glared at Natsuhi and added, "And he helped me _before_ I could even _think_ about throwing George off a cliff."

Natsuhi slammed her hands on the table and shot up, crying out, "I've had it with your insults and put-downs over the years! You've always said I wasn't worth anything, that I was nothing more than just a maid servant who wasn't even worthy of wearing the one-winged eagle—and now you've gone _too far!"_

Before Krauss could stop her, Natsuhi picked up a bowl of hot sauce and splashed it all over Eva's dress. This action started a riot. Hideyoshi was yelling at Natsuhi to get out while Natsuhi tried to defend herself, the two adults screaming at each other before Krauss settled it by calmly suggesting taking her out for a bit to calm her down.

As the ashamed couple made their way out, Maria's crying was now noticed. "Uu! Don't fight! Uu! Uu!"

Rosa's hand struck Maria across the face and she screamed, _"How many times have I told you not to say that?"_

"And how many times have I been _told_ of incidents such as this," scoffed Beato, who felt the need to march over to where Rosa and Maria were sitting.

Rosa whipped over to Beato and stood up. _"You_ keep out of this," she snapped, "You have _no idea_ how it is to be unable to find a man who is _willing_ to—"

"To put up with the occasional request for a bedtime story?" scoffed Beato. "A woman consumed by lust such as yourself shouldn't even _be_ a parent."

"It's not like I _wanted_ to be a parent in the first place!" cried Rosa shrilly. _"You_ will at least _have_ your husband around when _your_ child is born!" Her eyes narrowed. "You've been turning Maria against me, haven't you? You've been telling her to _make_ that noise to _irritate_ me, to _remind_ me of how I can never be a woman because of her!"

"Uu! Don't fight, please!" cried Maria, throwing herself to the ground.

Neither woman paid attention to this. Beato scoffed, "I'm not the one who gave Maria the only friend she's ever known and then taken that friend away from her."

Acting out on her anger, Rosa cried out, _"Don't speak to me like that you life-ruining slut!"_ Then, in a similar manner to how Natsuhi had acted only minutes before, she grabbed the pot of miso soup and splashed its contents onto Beato, which promptly stunned her into shutting up.

Before anything else could be said or done, however, there was a cold and harsh, _"Get out."_

Rosa turned her head to see an angry-looking Battler, who had returned just a few minutes ago without anyone noticing in the midst of the shouting. He marched right up to Rosa and stood between her and his wife. "You do not _speak_ to my wife like that, you do not _call_ her such names, and you _especially_ don't do _anything_ to harm her," he said coldly, "If you can't respect that, _then get the hell out."_

Rosa blinked in shock. Then, she meekly walked out of the dining room. Now, the only sound that could be heard was that of Maria crying.

Genji, who had been quietly standing in the background observing all this, stepped forward and said, "Well...in light of these events, I would say it is about time we _all_ leave to think about our words and actions."

No one could disagree with that.


	25. Chapter 25

25

The cousins had retreated to the safety of their assigned guest room, leaving the adults to work things out amongst themselves while they sat together in silence, hoping to get a moment of peace and quiet to themselves.

"Are you sure you'll be all right, Beato?" asked Battler. "And you, Maria?"

Beato, having changed into the maternity dress given to her by Kumasawa, said, "I'll be _fine,_ Battler; I've made it through worse than this."

"Uu, Maria will be fine, Battler," said Maria, "The black witch was taking over mama again!" Indeed, the red hand print on her face was beginning to fade now.

Battler was about to respond to that when he felt a small tug at his arm sleeve. He looked to his left and saw a fearful-looking Ange who said, "Onii-chan, are the grown-ups _always_ going to be mad at each other?"

Battler gave Ange a small hug. "Of course not," he said gently, "they have their issues, but they won't stay mad about them for very long."

"What a shame," sighed George, combing out his hair, "I hope they can all get along for the wedding rehearsal this afternoon."

"Right, I _forgot_ about that," groaned Jessica. In the midst of her worrying about what Sento was going to do to her family, she had completely forgotten about the event that would give him a reason to go in the first place: The wedding. It was funny, in a way; the wedding itself would have a rehearsal right before the ceremony. So they were basically holding a rehearsal of a rehearsal.

"It's all right, Jessica," said George, "In the chaos at lunch, I think most of us would be bound to forget. I should probably go and remind the other adults about it."

Just as he was about to follow up on his own suggestion, however, the door slightly opened by a crack. Jessica turned her head and stood up, slowly walking over to the door. "Who's there?" she said.

The door was pushed the rest of the way open and there stood Sento, looking perfectly innocent. "Is this the room the cousins were assigned to?" he asked.

Jessica folded her arms. "What if it is?"

"Oh, I just thought I might as well make myself welcome here, since I, too, would count as a 'cousin' to the others," shrugged Sento, "May I come in?"

Before Jessica could answer that, Beato had already gotten up and marched over to the door, which she began to slam, but was held back by Jessica. Not that she _didn't_ want to do such a thing herself; she knew that if she tried anything to harm Sento now, right after he had made it clear to the family he had gone through a lot of trouble just to see them, she would look jealous, insane, or both. For now, she would play nice. If he did anything to harm the cousins in this room now, she would let go of her reasoning and let him have it.

"Sure, but not for long," said Jessica, opening the door the rest of the way. Sento walked in not as though he were a proud and cruel opponent looking to crush his sister's spirit, but as a curious young man getting to know his surroundings.

"If I may ask," said Sento, looking around the room, "why exactly did this young woman try to slam the door in my face?"

"This young woman is named _Beato,_ thank you very much," snapped Beato.

Jessica shrugged, "She's at that stage now where she's hormonal and oversensitive."

Beato huffed, picked herself up, and stormed back into the bathroom, where she locked herself in to have a few moments to herself. She wondered what Sento was doing here, and if Jessica had been totally honest when she had said the game was over.

While she was left to ponder this, Sento said, "So what exactly shall we all do until it is time for the wedding rehearsal?"

"I will go and make preparations for it right now," said George, "I will come back when it is time." He shook hands with Sento and said, "Pleasure to meet you, by the way...Sento, was it?"

Sento nodded before letting go of George's hand and allowing him to leave, leaving him, Battler, Jessica, Maria, and Ange. He bent down to Ange's size and said, "You must be Ange."

Ange nodded, feeling a little uncomfortable with the revelation that she had another brother. She didn't trust him as much as she trusted Battler, seeing how she had known Battler for _much_ longer; besides which, she was already getting a niece whom she would regard as a sister; wasn't the family big enough?

"Do you like school, Ange?" coaxed Sento. "I'll bet you hate it during flu season, right?"

Ange nodded. "I always get sick during that time," she said.

"Oh, being sick is no fun at all, now is it?" said Sento sympathetically.

Ange shook her head. "No. But I guess school is okay."

Maria got off the bed and ran over to Sento. "Uu, Sento!" she cried out. "Maria went as Beato for Halloween! Do you know about Halloween?"

Sento stood up, turned to Maria, and nodded. "Oh yes, I am quite familiar with a few of the festivities myself," he said, "I remember falling back on one of Dr. Hashimoto's old coats as a costume for many years—I'd always go as a mad doctor, or a crazy scientist."

Maria sighed, "Not many people know about Halloween or celebrate it, uu."

"What a cute little verbal tic you have there," mused Sento, "I used to make those sort of sounds when I was learning the alpha—"

"Ahem," said Battler, beginning to feel uneasy by the whole situation. It was somewhat bizarre to see Sento acting as a kindly older brother or cousin. He had _something_ up his sleeve; _what,_ Battler was uncertain of.

"Yes, Battler?" said Sento. "Do you have a _problem_ with me getting to know some of my family? Particularly _our_ young sister?"

"Yes, actually," said Battler bluntly, "What do we know about you? For all we know, you could be an imposter who forged those documents to gain our trust, and you are actually out to steal the inheritance."

Sento raised an eyebrow. "Do I have to show them to _you,_ now?" He pulled out the roll of paper from his pocket once again, unrolled it, and handed each paper over to Battler.

Sento looked over at Jessica, which nearly startled her. "You've been quiet, dear sister," he said, "Whatever is the matter? You don't _agree_ with Battler's wonders, do you?"

"No, not at all," said Jessica quickly, shaking her head, "I just...want to wait until I know you a bit before making any sort of judgment."

"And what do you think of me so far?" said Sento, folding his arms across his chest. "Do you think I am out to somehow trick or scam the Ushiromiya family?"

Jessica looked him steadily in the eye. "No, I don't," she said, "So far, I think you just like to confuse people by making them read too much into their reasons for doing what they do."

At this, Sento had to laugh for a good five seconds before saying, "Oh, good one! Well, _that_ impression is probably spot-on. As for _my_ impression of _you,_ I think you're a spritely girl who is attracted to that young servant boy whom you made eyes with on the way out of lunch today."

Jessica's face turned red while Ange giggled. Before anything else could be said, however, George came in. "It's time."

* * *

The tension could still be seen as the family lined up in the chapel for the rehearsal. They only spoke if asking to borrow something for a brief moment, but that was about it. George hoped this tension wouldn't last throughout the _entire_ rehearsal, and certainly not right to the wedding the very next day. Then again, he reasoned, many successful weddings started out as quite stressful, and this should be no different.

"One more time!" called out George from the front of the chapel. "Bride, bridesmaids, ring-bearer, best man, flower girl! From the top!"

The adults sat in their seats in a frigid atmosphere, observing a lightly flushed Shannon, who no doubt was imagining what the actual ceremony itself would be like in just one day from now.

Jessica, along with a tired and irritated Beato, followed close behind. She looked out of the corner of her eye and noticed Sento sitting alone on one of the benches, looking...indescribable. What was he thinking as he watched the preparations for the wedding? Did he think weddings were something beautiful? Or did he think they were nothing more than a facade?

Sento's eyes met hers, causing her to look straight ahead and not pay attention to the thought of how Sento might behave at the wedding tomorrow.

Along with Battler's light footsteps, she heard the light skipping steps of Ange, who was more than happy to play the role of the flower girl—sweet and innocent, childlike and beautiful.

George smiled at Shannon and lightly kissed her hand, his lips lightly brushing the ring that would eventually become the seal of their commitment. Such love...such beauty in love...

"Sayo," said George suddenly, "I have heard of a Western tradition that is common in most weddings, and I was just thinking of using it here: After the bridge and the groom exchange their vows and go back down the aisle, the bride then throws her wedding bouquet for someone in the crowd to catch, preferably a single person. Is that okay, or do you think it's too..."

"Tacky?" finished Eva, who was sitting up front.

"No, I think it's lovely," said Shannon quickly, avoiding eye contact with Eva. She reached over to a nearby vase with a lovely flower arrangement she had taken care of herself, took out the flowers, and neatly tied them together with a white ribbon. She slipped her hand into George's, and the two ran down the aisle together until they reached the doors.

Shannon turned around and tossed the bouquet up into the air and across the aisle. Deciding she might as well keep herself entertained, Jessica ran over to catch the bouquet, not realizing another person had also gotten up to participate in such an activity...

Jessica caught the bouquet, at around the same time another hand grabbed it, the fingers entwining around hers. Jessica lost her balance and nearly fell over backwards, and stumbled into another person's arms. She whipped her face around...

The hand that had also caught the bouquet belonged to none other than Sento, whose arm had kept Jessica from falling, and whose face was right next to hers.

There was an awkward silence throughout the chapel, save for a stifled laugh from Rudolf. Sento quickly let go of the bouquet, and the two separated. Jessica laughed awkwardly, while Sento tried very hard not to smile, still feeling his heart pound and face flush from their close contact.

"Maybe we should call it a day already," muttered Shannon, feeling embarrassed at the awkward situation.

"Yes, perhaps we should," said George. He smiled at Shannon and lightly kissed her on the head. "I'll see you tomorrow night."

* * *

In the sea of kakera stood a witch in pink observing the events unfold in Rokkenjima. She hoped that awkward incident wouldn't go to Sento's head—after all, it was his purpose to carry out the murders, not have any sort of bonding moments with his family. Then, it would make it that much harder.

"Who am I kidding," scoffed Lambdadelta, "That kid may act all tough, but he'll _never_ actually _do_ it. He had _better_ prove me wrong, because if he doesn't..."

Her mood changed and she sighed romantically, "Or maybe he will...and soon, I'll have Bern all to myself...not that much longer now...just one more day..."


	26. Chapter 26

26

It was shortly after supper that George celebrated a small bachelor party with a handful of the female relatives. Sento supposed he _could_ go, but he decided to stay outside for a bit and wander through the rose garden, thinking about his family.

"George seems like a gentleman, but his mother is a real piece of work," he muttered out loud, "Maria, from what little I have seen of her, seems to have quite the imagination...and then there's _her..."_

"Not speaking ill of our family, are you?"

Sento turned to see Battler, whose footsteps he hadn't heard. "Oh, didn't see you there, Battler," he said, placing one of his hands in his pockets, "Just musing to myself about our family. Quite the crazy bunch, aren't we?"

"I'll say," muttered Battler. He knew he had to keep up his guard around Sento, lest he find another weak spot to poke at. And he had a purpose for searching for Sento: To ask him a question.

"Sento," said Battler, lowering his voice, "what _really_ happened that day in the meta-world, during Jessica's last round? There was a catch, wasn't there?"

Sento leaned slightly against the fence. Of course he wasn't going to _lie;_ he'd tell the truth. He said, "Oh, there was a _slight_ catch: You see..."

He looked over his shoulder before turning back to Battler and saying, "Your child with Beato was never in any danger to begin with. I _had_ to say _something_ to coax her into confirming my existence, after all—you see, Lady Lambdadelta had been holding me as a tool to lure Bernkastel into her grasp in the meta-world, and the only way to set me free was to convince Jessica to play a game that would release me. And how else could I have convinced her—by threatening one of her old _dolls?"_

Battler looked at Sento curiously. He sensed there was _something_ fishy. "So the real purpose of that game was to confirm your existence so that you wouldn't just fade from reality?"

"More or less," replied Sento, being honest...just not _totally_ honest. "I hope you can forgive me for leading you to think such morbid conclusions, but you needed the incentive to _fight_, to help Jessica. Naturally, when I dropped this little detail on her, she was somewhat shocked."

Battler still wasn't certain if he could trust every word to come out of Sento's mouth, but for now, he only said, "I wouldn't blame her, seeing how you made her—and us—think that my child was in danger. That's too cruel."

"Perhaps," sighed Sento, "Speaking of which...how _are_ you doing in preparing for the baby?"

"I'm...better prepared," said Battler truthfully, "I mean, when I first found out, the idea of raising a baby was, to me, the equivalent of going through a thousand more rounds of Beato's game. I couldn't figure out _how_ we were going to manage it, but eventually, I did. And then the thought of actually putting it into _practice_ just scared me even _more,_ especially with how dad kept going on about how I couldn't do this, how I was an irresponsible disappointment to the family, or how I was too young for it."

"So you think father played a part in your fear?" asked Sento.

"Somewhat," admitted Battler.

Sento stopped leaning against the fence and stood up straight. "Do you resent him in any shape or form, be it for what he did to Asumu, or for putting pressure on you?"

"I...did, but we're beginning to reach a better understanding," said Battler slowly, keeping his guard up. If Sento's plan was to turn each family member against one another and create chaos, he was _not_ going to fall victim to it.

"Why do you even _bother?"_ asked Sento. "If he's only going to think the worst of you..."

"I'm _trying_ to get him to appreciate my efforts," said Battler, holding his ground, "Beato and I will be living with my parents and Ange until we can afford our own house, which won't be for a few years yet. And I don't want my daughter to grow up seeing bad blood between her father and her grandfather."

"Your _daughter?"_ said Sento. "So you're having a girl?" He laughed, "Well, you know how that old saying goes—sugar and spice, and everything nice..."

"Oh, Beato can switch over from 'sugar' to 'spice' all right, ihihi!" laughed Battler. "But I like spice and sugar."

Sento adjusted his tie. "Why _did_ you ever fall in love with her, anyway, if she imposed you with such torture?"

Battler looked over at a nearby row of roses, feeling almost ashamed to answer, but answer he did: "Actually...it was me all along. _I_ imposed torture on _her._ She was only trying to guide me to the truth all along so I could save my family...but I was too incompetent to realize it. Anyway...she wasn't bad _most_ of the time. She was more like an immature little kid more than anything else." He chuckled, "An immature little kid with a sense of humour and nice-smelling hair, of course. Eventually, it got to the point where we were more like the two kids in grade school who showed their crushes for one another by pulling the other's pigtails, or by hiding the other's books."

Sento decided to change the subject, seeing how Battler was on the verge of going into hours-long reminiscences: "So what was it like to grow up with our father and...Asumu...during the thirteen more years she was alive for?"

Battler wondered if this subject would be a tad delicate, seeing how he had been the one to be raised by the woman who had given birth to another child who would go on to nearly be killed by his adoptive parents. Choosing his words carefully he said, "I...always got along better with Asumu than I did with the old bastard—I mean, dad." He laughed, "I guess old habits die hard, ihihi!" He cleared his throat and continued, "Part of me had always suspected dad was seeing someone else behind mom's back, especially when I was around twelve...well, eleven going on twelve, anyway. Eventually, though, I brushed it off as it was based solely on dad coming home a bit later than usual, and I had no real proof at the time. Apart from that, I was otherwise neutral to him—didn't want to give him hugs, didn't have plans to kill him."

"What about Asumu?" asked Sento, hoping his voice didn't sound as emotional as it felt in his throat.

Battler closed his eyes, trying to remember. "I remember her as...a very kind and loving mother who disciplined me when necessary but still showered me with affection. She was there when I was sick, or when I needed help with my homework." He opened his eyes. "I had always seen her getting along with dad just fine, and she took care of us. So...I could never understand why dad would cheat on her with _anyone."_

Sento, trying not to let his eyes betray any emotion, scoffed, "Of course. How were you to know what went on behind closed doors?"

Battler tried to make a joke: "Well, that's because they never _let_ me come in when the bedroom door was closed, ihihi!"

Sento did not laugh. He asked, "How did she die?"

This was getting to be emotional for Battler, too. He took a deep breath before saying, "Leukemia. She had it for three years. I..." He gulped. "I honestly _thought_ she was getting better, but...it was only two weeks after that family conference seven years ago...the one where I met Beato, though I didn't know it at the time...that she had to go back to the hospital. She died three days later, while I was at school."

He let out a heavy sigh before saying, "And it was only a _week_ after her death that I found out about Kyrie...and Ange..."

"How?" asked Sento, hoping he would be successful in keeping himself together. "By going through his things?"

Battler shook his head. "No...he came to talk to me in my room that day. And he said he was getting married to Kyrie. Now at first, I was angry—I couldn't believe he could move on so _soon_ after mom's _death..._like it meant _nothing_ to him. I told him as such and asked why he had to marry her anyway. And then he told me...he said he and Kyrie were expecting a baby...and had been for months now, and she was just into her second trimester. Well...you can only imagine my fury to hear _that_ little detail. It was enough to make me run out of my room and call my grandparents on Asumu's side to tell them I wanted to go live with them. I refused to let dad talk me out of it, however much he tried; I just let him have it about how he had betrayed Asumu and..."

He suddenly stopped, realizing how much he had just told to this man who was almost a stranger to him. He said, "Wow...I can't believe I just poured out my entire life story to you..."

Sento looked away. "Asumu was the one who housed me in her womb, the one to give life to me. And I never even got to _know_ her. I had every right to know as much about her as I could find out." He sighed, trying not to let his emotions pour out in his voice but failing, "Well, I can only hope you're ready to deal with your child and won't just _abandon_ them out of fear of actually having to be _responsible_ for once in your life."

Battler felt almost disturbed to hear such emotion in Sento's voice, having thought he wasn't capable of anything but contempt. "I assure you I won't do such a thing."

Sento scoffed, "Makes you more noble than our own father, I'll give you that much."

Battler wondered if he should walk over to see Sento's expression, which he was doing a good job of hiding by still not looking in his direction.

After what felt like almost an hour but was really only about three minutes, Sento turned back to Battler, having now fixed a look of contempt onto his face. "You'd better get back to your wife before she starts craving chalk."

* * *

It was just after the party that Genji and Natsuhi took up the honour of leading Sento to his room in the guest house. He had insisted that the cousins' room would be just fine, but it was Natsuhi who insisted that he have the privilege of having his own room for the night, seeing how he deserved special treatment in compensation for what had happened twenty years ago.

Sento took a look around his room. The walls were a light pink, the bed sheets a dark shade of green, and the carpet matching the wall. There was a door to the bathroom to his left, and a small drawer just facing opposite his bed. The accommodations were quite nice indeed.

"Is there anything else I can do for you this evening?" asked Genji.

Natsuhi nodded. "That will be all, Genji."

Genji closed the door behind him as he left, leaving Natsuhi and Sento.

Natsuhi was barely able to look at Sento as she spoke: "I...Krauss and I...we found a pair of pyjamas for you to wear tonight. They're just in that drawer, over there. And as for the wedding tomorrow..."

"I'll be fine in this suit," said Sento calmly, "It should be just right for such an occasion."

Natsuhi seemed almost pained to speak any further. Then, she did something Sento did not expect: She pulled him in close and gave him a tight hug, pressing his face against her shoulder, sobbing incoherent words about how sorry she was for what she did to him.

_So this must be...a hug?_ thought Sento, not knowing how to react to this. Was he supposed to pull away? Was he supposed to hug back? How was he supposed to know? This sort of gesture...this sort of affection...he did not understand it. Why...?

Natsuhi pulled away. Her eyes were red and puffy, and her nose was runny. She pulled out a handkerchief to lightly dab at her face. "Excuse me," she said, "I'll...I'll give you some time alone to change. That's right...we're going to be up early tomorrow. So..." She swallowed. "Be sure to tuck yourself in and...and feel free to come to me if there is anything wrong, okay?"

Sento nodded, and Natsuhi left. As she did, she gave him one last glance over her shoulder before closing the door behind her. He walked over to the bed and sat down on it, wondering what to make of that hug. Was it an apology? A sign of affection?

He sighed and lay down on the bed. He closed his eyes, thinking back to what Lambdadelta had told him right before he was permitted to leave:

"_Remember: You're going to the island for a reason—to carry out the murders that were meant to happen in October of 1986. And if you fail to do so...let's just say you'll be begging for death as much as Beato was when you're done with it, ha-ha-ha!"_

If he let such a gesture go to his head...if he dared to allow himself to bond with anyone in the family...would he still be able to go through with it?

Of course he would. There was no question about it.

* * *

Jessica tossed and turned in bed with the cousins, all of whom had managed to peacefully fall asleep. She, however, could not sleep. She kept thinking about Sento, wondering what he was going to do next and what to do if he did it.

_He has a mind of his own, _she thought, _He said he was going to kill everyone on the eve of the wedding...how do I know he's going to wait that long? What if he changes his mind and decides to come into here and kill us in our sleep?_

She flopped over to look at the clock on the nightstand.

Five minutes past midnight.

She sighed and decided to get out of bed. There was onl_y_ one thing she could do to put her mind at ease about this, and she was going to do it, no matter how uncomfortable it made her feel. The item that was necessary for performing this task was just hidden in the nightstand drawer amongst other miscellaneous items.

* * *

It was Yoshiya's duty to patrol the guest house at night. He did not know why the shifts had been changed, but he accepted them with no questions asked. He saw no harm in it, and it would give him a chance to keep an eye on Sento. There was something about that young man that struck him as suspicious. He could not yet think or prove what his real agenda was, but he did not like it in the slightest.

To say nothing of the fact that he was getting a little too close to Jessica for his liking.

After all, Jessica treated Battler and George as though they were brothers, and they returned the behaviour, which Yoshiya was fine with. However, Sento's behaviour struck him as...un-brotherly, to say the least...

Yoshiya noticed the door to the cousins' room slowly creak open. He stopped, waiting to see who was up at this time of night. He relaxed when he saw Jessica come out, her blonde hair falling just down her shoulders, wearing a white nightgown. She noticed him and said, "Oh! Yoshiya!" She walked up to him and lowered her voice: "Yoshiya, what are you doing here?"

"I was given the night shift over here," said Yoshiya in an equally low voice. He knew the cousins wouldn't care about him and Jessica being together, but it was common courtesy to not wake up those who were sleeping, of course. "What's that you're holding?"

"These? Oh," said Jessica, feeling somewhat foolish. She wondered, suddenly, if Yoshiya might be able to help her out. "Yoshiya...do you trust Sento?"

Yoshiya shook his head. "No. Why do you ask? Does it have anything with how you plan to use...?"

Jessica nodded. "The only problem is, I would need to ensure he won't...take advantage of the opportunity..."

"I see," said Yoshiya. "So what is it you would like me to do?"

"If I am correct," said Jessica, "the room Sento is in will also have a bathroom. Do you think that maybe you could hide out in there for the night? And if anything happens, I could call and you could, well, come and...? I'm really sorry to be asking this of you, but..."

"Anything for you is hardly a burden," said Yoshiya with a smile.

Jessica sighed, "Thanks for being understanding about this, Yoshiya."

"But what exactly is it you hope to prevent him from doing, anyway?" asked Yoshiya.

"I...have this hunch...that he might be a bit...dangerous," said Jessica slowly. It wasn't the best reasoning in the world, but how else could she phrase it?

* * *

Sento had changed into his pyjamas some time before Jessica had gotten out of bed. They were green, and slightly oversized, but comfortable nonetheless. He supposed it would've helped if he had brought more clothing along, but luggage would've only gotten in the way.

He had begun to close his eyes, when he heard the door open. He smiled, knowing all too surely who it was. Of course Jessica wouldn't trust him. She'd be here to give him a warning, or somehow prevent him from doing anything tonight—perhaps by tying him to the bed—and then she'd be off.

Sure enough, he felt another person climb into bed. He sat up, and noticed Jessica moving over to where he was. "Good evening, dear sister," he said with a smile, "Shouldn't you be in bed right now?"

"How can I sleep when you could just change your mind and kill my cousins in their sleep?" hissed Jessica, hiding her weapon-of-choice behind her back.

"With the aid of a few sleeping pills, perhaps?" suggested Sento. "But no, what would I have to gain from that? It would be too sudden—too soon. It would arouse suspicion—was it the act of the mysterious stranger? Was he the one responsible for this tragedy? Of course they'd all think that. And it would be downright _insensitive_ to ruin a potentially beautiful wedding."

Jessica looked over her shoulder. Yoshiya had snuck into the bathroom while she had climbed across the bed. Hopefully, Sento had seen nothing.

"Talk is cheap," said Jessica coolly, "How can I trust anything you say when you've been misleading me during our game?"

Sento shrugged, "You'll just have to trust me, dear sister."

Jessica smirked, knowing he would say that. "Or how about _not?"_

Before Sento had a chance to fight against it, Jessica whipped out the handcuffs and slipped one end onto Sento's right wrist, and the other onto her left. She whipped out the key and locked them into place before tossing the key onto the carpet, where upon a hand reached out and grabbed it.

"It pays to go through stuff in the attic and save it for later," said Jessica, still with her triumphant smirk.

Sento felt the need to smirk back. "Handcuffs, dear sister? My, how unexpected of you. You _will_ go to great lengths to protect our family, won't you?"

"You've got that right," said Jessica firmly, "If you try to get up while I'm still attached to you, you'll just have to drag me out with you. Even then, you wouldn't be able to kill anyone with just one hand. And you won't be able to find the key to unlock this because you'd have to get by Yoshiya first."

Yoshiya stuck his head out of the bathroom. He hadn't heard all of what Jessica had said; there seemed to be certain parts where she would keep her voice low, but he had heard his name mentioned. He glared at Sento, who had turned around to see who was coming out of the bathroom.

"If you do anything disgraceful to Jessica," said Yoshiya warningly, "You'll have _me_ to deal with."

"Now would I ever _dream_ of doing anything disgraceful?" said Sento innocently. "But very smart of you nonetheless."

If looks could kill, Yoshiya would've caused Sento to choke on his words and die. But because they could not, Yoshiya simply gave Sento a warning glare before lurching back into the bathroom.

Sento and Jessica lay down in bed next to each other (of course, having no other option) and turned to face one another. "You have quite a bit of determination, dear sister," said Sento and he began to lean in closer, "I like it. It just makes me look all the more forward to seeing you begging for mercy tomorrow night."

Jessica's eyes flashed with anger. "Oh no, Sento," she said, leaning in closer, "I'll see to it that _you_ will be the one to get on your knees and _beg_ for it to be over. Consider yourself lucky if I even _grant_ that wish."

Sento leaned in closer. "If that is a challenge, I accept gladly."

He was about to say more, and she was about to reply, when they realized how closely they had leaned in: They were barely inches away from any part of their faces touching...be it their noses...or their lips. Upon this awkward realization, they moved a few inches away, unable to look the other in the eye.

"Good night," muttered Sento, turning on his side to the extent the handcuffs would allow him to.

"Good night," muttered Jessica, who chose to lie on her back and stare at the ceiling, hoping she'd be able to save everyone's lives tomorrow night.

It was with this thought on her mind that she fell asleep upon.


	27. Chapter 27

27

_Ugh..._

Jessica felt a sensation similar to having a hangover as she woke up to the sound of the alarm clock shrieking for her to wake up. The noise gave her a headache, she felt slightly nauseous from her stomach being completely empty (having not had anything to eat since supper the night before), and as she opened her eyes she found herself in an unfamiliar room.

This isn't the cousins' room, she realized, and this isn't my room either.

Then, to her relief, the ringing stopped. Only...she wasn't the one to stop it. Someone else had turned it off.

That's right, she remembered, I'm in Sento's room...lying next to Sento...in bed...handcuffed.

"That was a nuisance," sighed Sento as he sat up in bed, nearly jerking Jessica up with him. He smiled at the half-awake young woman who slowly sat up. "Good morning, dear sister. Have a nice sleep?"

"I slept just fine with the knowledge that you wouldn't be able to get up and do anything," said Jessica coolly, "What about you? Did _you_ sleep well?"

"Of course I did," said Sento with a smile, "I had my dear sister sleeping next to me."

Jessica tried not to let such a comment fluster her—or at least, not _show_ it. He made it sound like...like it was something entirely different! If anyone came in here _now_ and saw them like _this..._

"Now, was it really so horrible?" asked Sento, as though he could read her mind. "Was sleeping with me—I mean, _next_ to me—all that bad?"

Jessica could tell Sento had made that 'mistake' on purpose to either enrage her or fluster her—possibly both. She said, "No, I suppose it wasn't...it was worth it to protect the ones I love."

"Speaking of which," said Sento, "shouldn't that alarm have woken up your beloved _Yoshiya_ by now?"

Jessica looked over the side of the bed. She wasn't sure _how_ loud the alarm was, or if it would've woken Yoshiya up. She had told him to sleep in the bathtub, and she would call for him if she caught Sento doing...something...

Well, it was apparently not loud enough, for she heard no footsteps wandering around the bathroom, nor did she see anyone about to come out.

Jessica turned back to Sento. "Maybe we should wait for him a little bit," she said.

"Oh? You don't _mind_ being handcuffed to me for a little while longer?" teased Sento.

"Well, we _are_ supposed to get up _pretty_ early to get ready for the wedding," said Jessica, "And maybe Yoshiya just needs a bit of time before getting up. What time is it right now?"

Sento looked over at the alarm clock before looking back at Jessica. "Around six-fifteen. When should we get up?"

"The last time I talked to her, Shannon suggested around seven-thirty, after we've had a quick breakfast," said Jessica, "So we still have a bit of time."

"And what exactly do you suggest we _do_ for the time being?" asked Sento.

"Erm...talk?" suggested Jessica weakly. "About...family?"

"About how the Ushiromiya family is more demented than a typical soap opera family _and_ a sitcom family put together?" said Sento half-jokingly.

Jessica stifled a laugh. "Well, yeah, we have our share of secrets," she admitted, "But what family doesn't? I'm sure my friends' parents probably have a few skeletons in the closet themselves."

"Yes, I'm sure your friends were probably all switched at birth and then thrown off a cliff, too," said Sento dryly, "Or perhaps their grandfathers _also_ locked their illegitimate children up in a secret mansion just a few blocks down from their houses."

Jessica sighed, "All right, so maybe we're not _typical,_ but the love that brings typical families together is still there."

At this remark, Sento gave Jessica a "do you honestly expect me to buy this bullshit" look. Jessica sighed, "I know we may not always _show_ it, especially when we're at our _worst,_ but..."

She shook her head. "You know what...I don't think I could do justice in describing it to you. You'd have to see it for yourself. We're not perfect. No family is. But you'll see what I mean. At least," she gave him a meaningful glance, "you _would_ see it in its own time if you weren't so bent on _killing_ them..."

Part of her knew she was taking a naive approach by thinking she could actually talk him out of it; if someone was truly bent on killing another person then absolutely _nothing_ would change their mind, especially not if they were a psychopath. Yet somehow, part of her doubted Sento was _truly_ psychopathic or dangerous...well, of course, she knew she couldn't take a chance; otherwise, she wouldn't have gone to these lengths.

At the same time, however, she wondered if he'd actually go through with it, if he was just wearing a mask, or if he was like Beato from what she had heard of from Battler—that he was forced to play a role cast onto him by Lambdadelta. There was something about him that made him softer, almost...human.

Sento rolled his eyes, indicating he still didn't buy a word of what Jessica was selling him. She said, "Look, you have _every_ reason to be angry and hate them—mom, Uncle Rudolf—_everyone. _Including _me._" She paused. "But is it _really_ fair to _kill_ them over it? For that matter...is it worth killing _everyone_—including Maria or Ange, neither of whom were even conceived or born when this happened? Including Aunt Rosa or Aunt Eva, neither of whom played a role in it? Including George, who was just a kid when it happened and knew nothing of it?"

"Ever heard of 'guilt by association'?" said Sento coldly. His tone made it clear he wasn't likely to listen to Jessica's argument any time soon.

Jessica let out a groan in frustration. _"Fine!"_ she snapped. "If you're so set on thinking the _worst_ of everyone, _go ahead!_ Live alone, _die _alone!"

She was about to add more when she heard footsteps coming from the bathroom. "Oh dear, looks like our little bonding time is up," said Sento, not sounding too sorry to have this chat come to its end.

Jessica herself was eager to get herself and Sento out of these handcuffs. She was so eager, in fact, that she leapt out of bed; however, because Sento was still handcuffed to her, she ended up dragging him with her, which resulted in Sento falling on top of her as she lay on her back.

Her memory flew back to a similar incident in the meta-world on that day Sento had called her in—_talk about déjà vu,_ she thought. Another similarity to the last time this had happened, she noted, was that their faces were barely inches away from touching, and their eyes were locked once more.

_A really creepy déjà vu,_ she mentally added.

"_Sento?"_

Jessica and Sento turned their heads to see Yoshiya standing just above them. He was looking at the two with a curious expression on his face, which switched over to anger. "If you were doing something to her just now..."

"No, no, this was an accident!" said Jessica quickly, her face turning red. "I was trying to get out of bed when I heard you, and, um..."

"Well, there you have it," shrugged Sento, "Now if we could just get off...have the key?"

Yoshiya now looked slightly embarrassed. "Yes, about that...Jessica told me to sleep in the bathtub, and when I woke up, I...got up too fast, and..."

"Let me guess: You dropped the key down the drain?" said Sento dryly. "This is getting to be more and more like a comedy every minute!"

"Sh—shut up!" snapped Jessica. She and Sento struggled to move their position, which, given their situation, was a tad difficult. Yoshiya took pity on them, sighed, and moved Sento over, then helped the two sit up while still handcuffed together.

"There might still be a way to get out of this," said Yoshiya calmly, "Just stay right where you are, and wait while I—"

He was cut off by the door opening. Jessica hoped that the person about to come in wasn't whom she thought it was; to her dismay, it was indeed...

"Sento, have you seen—_Jessica?"_ said a dumbfounded Natsuhi.

Jessica felt the back of her neck burning with embarrassment. "Oh, uh, good morning, mom," she laughed nervously, "I, um...I got up before the other cousins did and found this old pair of handcuffs. I decided to show them to Sento, only he got a little eager to try them on, and, well..."

"I came by a short while ago," spoke up Yoshiya, "I was entrusted with the key, but I am afraid I accidentally lost it. I am most sorry."

Natsuhi appeared to accept this explanation; nonetheless, she sighed, "Jessica, what have I told you about playing with such items? It's unladylike, and un-fitting for the daughter of the Ushiromiya head."

She shook her head. "Never mind; I remember Krauss telling me about a trick to opening these without a key."

She opened up the nightstand drawer, took out a ballpoint pen, bent down, and began to pick away at the lock. As she did, Jessica felt grateful towards Yoshiya for adjusting her and Sento's position; she wasn't sure if she really wanted to see what her mother's reaction would've been to find them in _that_ position! For that matter, she wasn't sure how she would've reacted to learn what had _really_ happened when they were handcuffed together.

The trick worked; the handcuffs were now unlocked, and Jessica and Sento managed to wriggle their wrists free. "Now," said Natsuhi, "the two of you should both get dressed and come to the dining room for some breakfast."

* * *

Breakfast had gone just splendidly. The rest after that, however, seemed to be one disaster after another. The only person who had managed to make it to the island was the minister to wed Shannon and George; the caterer and the florist, for some reason or another, could not make it. Gohda had been quick to assure the stressed young couple that he would take care of the food, and Kumasawa was willing to find a few flowers around for the bouquet. However, not even their words of assurance could save the bridesmaids' dresses from not arriving at their supposed time, or _ever,_ leaving George to give the order to the bridesmaids to use whatever dresses they owned.

And this was how Jessica found herself sitting on the edge of her bed in her room, rolling on the rosy tights to go with her dress, which consisted of a white, puffy blouse, a pink bow, a pink lace-up visible corset around the middle, and layers of pink ruffled skirts. It looked so sweet Jessica could feel her teeth beginning to rot.

Still, she supposed it didn't look all _that_ bad. She wondered, though, if the small, pink hat with roses that went with it would be too much, if she was better off lightly curling her hair and leaving it at that.

Well, she didn't care much for the hat, anyway.

She heard a knock on the door. She called out, "I'm decent."

"As opposed to _in_decent?" chuckled a voice that made Jessica wish she hadn't given the person permission to come in. The door opened and in came Sento, now dressed in his usual black suit, wearing a look of innocence on his face. Jessica, however, knew better than to assume someone like Sento to be innocent, even if everyone else didn't.

"Oh, uh...hi, Sento," said Jessica awkwardly.

Sento walked over to the bed, causing Jessica to stand up instinctively. "That's quite the dress you're wearing there," he commented, "On most, it might look like a mess of frills and lace. On you, it seems to work...makes you look rather cute."

Jessica ignored this compliment and outright asked, "Why did you come here? What is it you want?"

"Nothing in particular," sighed Sento, looking bored as he seemed to examine his fingernails, "Is it wrong of me to try to make a pleasant conversation with my dear sister before the wedding? The rest of the day will be hectic; who knows when we'll have time to talk again."

Jessica was still reluctant to trust him. She said, "If you're not going to listen to me when I try to tell you that our family isn't that bad, then there is nothing to talk about."

"Then let's not talk," said Sento, "Let's dance."

Jessica looked at him curiously. Sento said in a faux-pitiful tone, "I never really learned _how_ to dance, dear sister. And I hear there might be dancing at the wedding tonight. Would you care to teach me how so I don't make a fool out of myself?"

"On one condition," said Jessica, looking to make sure he had no weapons hidden behind his back, "If you decide to bring up the topic of our family history while we're dancing, you will listen if I try to defend the Ushiromiya's. Do we have a deal?"

Sento looked from her eyes to her hands—then, he slipped his hands into hers, stepped forward, and said, "It's a deal."

Deciding to hold up her end of the bargain, Jessica drew Sento in a little bit closer and took a few steps away from the bed. Then she began to dance in an almost waltz-like manner while Sento spoke: "Let me ask you this: Why do you care for our parents so much when they obviously don't want you to be happy with Yoshiya?"

"One step to the left," said Jessica, keeping Sento in-line, "Well, because they're really not that bad underneath their strictness. Dad taught me how to box—no, not quite, over there—and mom's okay to talk to if you know the right things to say. To my right...I wish they'd just say to hell with the whole next heir business already and let me be with Yoshiya, though. They can be real ugly when it comes to money, like the other adults."

Sento scoffed, "Of course. Money seems to be the root of nearly all things evil in this family, now doesn't it? To your right, you said?...If you could find a way to run away off the island and elope with Yoshiya, would you?"

"Perhaps," said Jessica slowly, "I mean, I've thought about it. I've daydreamed about it often enough, but when I _think_ about it—off my foot—I'm not sure if I could actually go through with it. It would break mom's heart, but sometimes I don't care how she would feel about it. Is that so wrong?"

"It would probably break her heart even more to find out you slept with Yoshiya," said Sento off-handedly.

Jessica abruptly stopped dancing. "Who told you that?" she demanded. "Did Yoshiya say anything?"

"Yoshiya said nothing, dear sister," said Sento, his usual smirk creeping across his face, "You just did."

Jessica felt her entire face burn as she realized how she had just been tricked. She began to move her feet again as Sento spoke: "My, my, I was just making a "what-if" observation, and you just confirmed it without stopping to think if I was bluffing or not. How disappointing. I expected more out of you. So tell me this: Was it a one-time thing, or have you been sneaking off to have clandestine meetings with dear Yoshiya for months now?"

"It—it was a one-time thing," muttered Jessica, hoping she could change the subject somehow, "And anyway...I don't regret it. If I had a chance to do it with him again, I would. But anyway...your in-step is a little awkward, but you seem to be doing fine otherwise."

Sento could see Jessica's eagerness to change the subject. Deciding there was nothing to gain from further exploiting her embarrassment, he complied: "There's something I would like to try out. Care to be my subject?"

Jessica nodded, resolving to keep her wits about her in case he tried anything...disgraceful. Sento let go of one of her hands, using the other to raise her arm, and then give her a slight spin before releasing her and catching her in his arms.

"How was that?" asked Sento. His tone made it unclear if he was sincere or trying to fluster Jessica. She gulped and said, "That was...pretty good."

Sento propped Jessica up straight and they resumed dancing. "Is there anything you can tell me about my father's most _charming_ new wife, Kyrie?"

"I...I guess Battler could tell you more," said Jessica, feeling slightly out-of-breath from their close contact, "He knows her better than I do. But from what I know, she seems...pretty nice. She's really fond of that "flip-the-chessboard" thinking, I know that much. And I guess that style has helped me in my game with you."

"It would appear so," said Sento. He surprised Jessica by using one arm to slowly dip her, causing her to let out a gasp. He brought her back up and said, "My apologies if that came unexpected. It was another little something I've always wanted to try out."

"W—well, give more warning in advance next time!" said Jessica, wondering if now would be a good time to end this little 'dancing lesson'.

Sento started moving slower. "How about we take it slow, then?"

Jessica slowed down to move in tune with Sento. She leaned in and whispered into his ear, "We should probably stop soon. Shannon will eventually want all of the bridesmaids with her."

"In time, dear sister, in time," said Sento. Truth be told, there was a part of him that didn't _want_ them to stop as they were now. The feeling of Jessica's hands in his...of being close enough to hear her voice speak somewhat softer than he had ever recalled hearing it...it gave him a strange feeling. The name of it was just on the tip of his tongue...

"If you would just give everyone a _chance,_ Sento," said Jessica, "you might actually grow to _love_ the people in our family."

Well...there is at least _one_ person in the family he might lo—

"What did you say?" said Jessica.

Sento sharply backed away from Jessica, letting go of her hands as though they were covered with slime. Did he just say that out loud? He hadn't meant to, but...

"I said you might be right," he said quickly, hoping to cover up for his mistake, "You probably _should_ go now. Shannon will be waiting for you."

Jessica had a feeling that wasn't what he had said at all. Still, she was glad for it to end while it did, and she said, "Then I'll go now. See you later."

She ran out of her room, leaving behind a confused and frustrated Sento. He scolded himself: _What's the matter with you? You can't let your feelings get the better of you now—not when you're so close to what you came here for! This...she...is only a distraction._

* * *

It was in the cousins' room that the girls helped Shannon get ready for her upcoming wedding. Her dress had made it through, and in the end the girls managed to find their own individual dresses.

"You look like a princess out of a fairy tale, Shannon," said Ange, who was proudly wearing a white sundress with her red hair done up in a bun.

"Thank you, Ange," said a beaming Shannon, who glowed like the blushing bride she was. Her white dress was sleeveless and reached just above her ankles, the straps thick enough to nicely accent her bare shoulders with a slight V curving just above her chest.

Maria, wearing a pink short-sleeved dress, said, "Maria can't wait for this evening, uu! Can't wait to dance!"

At this, Shannon wondered out loud, "I wonder if I'll be any good at dancing...or if George will...even if we're not, will we still be happy together? Beato, were you _this_ nervous when you were about to marry Battler?"

Beato was sitting down in a nearby chair, wearing a burgundy maternity dress with lacy sleeves. "Well, it wasn't exactly _planned," _she pointed out.

"Right," muttered Shannon. She had to take a few deep breaths to calm down as she sat in a chair. Kumasawa had said she would arrive soon to help; right now, she was busy taking care of other matters. She was beginning to get pre-wedding jitters, wondering if everything was going to be this wonderful during the actual wedding itself, worrying if this was too good to be true.

She realized all of a sudden that Jessica hadn't said anything, and was sitting on edge of the bed, looking reflective and contemplative. What could she be in such deep thought about? What was making her act so silent and still?

She stood up and walked over to where Jessica was sitting. She sat next to her and said, "Jessica, is something wrong?"

"Mm, what?" asked Jessica, looking up. "No, nothing's wrong. I'm just...thinking."

Shannon smiled. "About Yoshiya?"

"Sort of," said Jessica slowly, "Shannon...have you ever had an awkward moment with another boy while also having feelings for George?"

Shannon shook her head. "I'm sorry, I can't say I have. Why do you ask?"

"No reason at all," Jessica quickly said, "I was just...wondering."

She let out a sigh, thinking about how things with Sento were getting to be a little...complicated. She wanted to believe he _wouldn't_ go through with it...but could she afford that belief?

* * *

The men were in the parlour helping George get ready, all neatly dressed in their suits and tuxedos.

"So, you feel ready for this, George-aniki?" said Battler as he helped George straighten out his tie.

"I've been ready for this for years," said George with a smile, "To finally receive mother's blessing was a great gift, indeed."

Hideyoshi sniffed with a tear in the edge of his eye, "Ah, look at you—yer all grown up now. Yer not the little boy ya used to be."

Battler noticed Sento standing just outside the parlour, looking unsure as to whether he should come in or stay where he was. Rudolf also noticed Sento and said stiffly, "You can come in."

Sento wordlessly walked in, noticing the men preparing for the wedding. Tonight would be so beautiful...it was a shame he would have to stain the night with blood...

If he could—

"Sorry for my wife's actions yesterday, Hideyoshi," spoke Krauss, "I hope Eva is all right?"

"She's doing fine," sighed Hideyoshi, "She's just a little...put-off by it."

"And Battler," said Krauss, "I hope Beato is doing all right as well? Considering that Rosa did something similar..."

"Eh, she's back to her old self," shrugged Battler, "But if Rosa attempts to do something like this again..."

"She _won't,"_ said Krauss firmly, "I'll see to it."

Rudolf placed a hand on Battler's shoulder. "I'm proud of you for the way you stood up for your wife," he said, sounding sincere in his words, "If someone had done such a thing to Kyrie, regardless of _who_ it was, I would've thrown that person out myself."

Was that...an actual _approval_ from his father? Battler could hardly believe his ears. He let out a grateful smile and said, "Thank you, dad."

"Yesterday's lunch was...catastrophic, wasn't it?" sighed George. He shook his head. "I think we all said and did things we didn't really mean. But I am sure we won't let it ruin this special day."

"I suppose it was my fault, really," spoke up Sento, "Perhaps I should've kept my mouth shut on the subject of Asumu's trickery..."

"Perhaps," said Rudolf stiffly.

There was an awkward silence in the room for nearly five minutes before George said, "Sento...where would you like to sit? Up front? Somewhere in the middle?"

Sento shrugged and looked out the window, his mind on other matters. He thought back to when he and Jessica were dancing together...how, for a moment, he had nearly forgotten his reason for coming here...how he felt-

"Should Kanon have a seat, I wonder?" said George. "This is his sister's wedding, after all. I see no reason he can't come."

"Perhaps," nodded Krauss, "Jessica's little infatuation with him should be gone by now, so it should be safe to let him stay."

Sento had to hold back a laugh. He was tempted to reveal Jessica and Yoshiya's dirty little secret right then and there, but he told himself that if he were to do so, now would not be the right time. He only said, "Oh? What's this now? Jessica has a little _crush_ on that servant?"

"Yes, but it is _only_ a crush," stressed Krauss, "She said so herself _months_ ago. She assured her mother and I that she wasn't in love with him, and was merely attracted to him. She's more than likely moved on now; she _did_ mention something about a cute boy in her class. I can assure you all right now that Jessica has absolutely _none_ of these forbidden love stories."

Sento wondered if this was how an actor on the set of a movie felt when their co-star delivered a hilarious line yet they had to keep a straight face to keep the show going.

* * *

In the sea of kakera, Lambdadelta was standing alongside the one person whom she had hoped to ensnare in her grasp—Frederica Bernkastel, Witch of Miracles. The two were observing the actions of Sento carefully, waiting to see if he was having any doubts about how to act for tonight.

"What a pitiful young man," sighed Bernkastel, "I wouldn't be surprised at all if he had some sort of breakdown when the moment came."

"Oh, he _won't,"_ said Lambdadelta, "Because if he _does, _you'll know what to do with him, right Bern?"

Bernkastel smiled. "I have a few...punishments in mind. None of which will be particularly painless, I can assure you."

Lambdadelta placed her head on Bernkastel's shoulder. "I love you, Bern. It'll be _soooo_ much fun to watch these twisted tales unfold with you by my side...forever..."

* * *

"Do you, Ushiromiya George, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife..."

Those words that had been spoken many times to many a young couple about to be united for the rest of their lives...those words that neither George nor Shannon had ever dared to dream of hearing being spoken until now...

Sento, seated in the middle, felt his mind begin to wander. He hoped this wasn't going to take much longer. After the ceremony's completion, everyone would be having dinner outdoors (courtesy of Gohda). Then there would be dancing in the rose garden. Then the married couple would be going off to the guest house to have their night together.

And then...

Sento remembered he had been told to carry out the murders in accordance to the witch's epitaph—"as it should have been done". This epitaph seemed to be somewhat complex, but he supposed he could do it...if he did it...

_When_ he did it...

Sento's eyes wandered around the chapel. He noticed Beato was sitting next to Rosa in the front row—he had heard her say something about how she couldn't be a bridesmaid because she got dizzy from standing up for too long. All part of her condition. It made him somewhat thankful he had been born male.

He looked to see if there was any tension between the two women from yesterday. He remembered having to keep himself from laughing when the sauce and the soup went flying. He had no doubts it would feed into the tension between Eva and Natsuhi...but what about Beato and Rosa? Throwing a pot of soup at a heavily pregnant woman wasn't really much better than throwing sauce at a woman one hated.

He noticed Rosa looking at Beato out of the corner of her eye. She leaned in and whispered something—he assumed it to be some sort of apology. The only apology he had heard for certain was the one Beato had whispered back. After this, the tension between them seemed to relax.

However, there was still quite a bit of tension between Eva and Natsuhi, both of whom were seated as far apart from each other as possible. Eva was sitting up front and, from what he could see, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief at the sight of her son getting married.

Perhaps Jessica had been right...perhaps _some_ mothers _did_ care for their children...

No, of course she wasn't. Eva wasn't shedding tears of joy; these were tears of anger that George had dared to go against her wishes by marrying a servant.

At least, this was what he told himself.

If this were true, he wondered, how would Natsuhi react to see Jessica get together with—

"You're stepping on my foot," whispered Yoshiya.

Sento and Yoshiya, by some stroke of cruel luck, had been seated next to each other. Naturally, this fed into more tension. Sento lifted up his foot and scuttled away from Yoshiya. He noticed where his eyes were focused: On Jessica, who looked especially lovely with that little pink hat to go with her dress.

Yoshiya didn't like being seated next to Sento any more than he did. He just hoped Sento wasn't going to try anything disgraceful. Part of him still did not trust this man. What had Yoshiya to be afraid of from this man?

That he might know something about what had happened between Yoshiya and Jessica that day...?

_Did_ he know?

Sento wasn't behaving any differently around Yoshiya, yet he could not erase the feeling that he _knew_ something. If he did...

Well, why should it matter? He wouldn't actually go around telling people...right?

Yoshiya and Sento were snapped to attention by the sound of clapping and cheering as the couple at the altar kissed.

It had been done.

George and Shannon turned to run down the aisle. Once they got to the end, Shannon threw the bouquet up in the air. Sento and Yoshiya both got up at the same time. Yoshiya himself thought this was rather silly, but he was curious to see the appeal.

And so, Yoshiya stretched out his hand, just to see if, by chance, he might catch it...

He was startled not only to catch it...but to feel another hand wrapped around his to have also caught it. He turned to see Jessica, who flushed and laughed. Yoshiya let go and allowed her to take the bouquet.

All the while, he was certain that Sento was trying to burn a hole in the back of his head using only his eyes.


	28. Chapter 28

_f_28

It was still light outside when everyone went out to have dinner. The blue sky was dimming into an orange shade with some clouds overcast, almost resembling an oil painting. The same could very well be said for the set up tables and chairs just outside the chapel, with the wedding party each assigned to their respective tables. The cloth upon each table was white with cherry blossom patterns knitted onto each end. It was this pattern that Ange traced her fingers along with, beginning to feel bored.

"Eat up your dinner, Ange," encouraged Kyrie, "Then you'll get to have a slice of cake after."

"I guess," muttered Ange, blinking her eyes and yawning.

"Tired, Ange?" said Battler. It _was_ getting close to Ange's bedtime, and he supposed he couldn't really blame her for getting tired. He was surprised, though, to see Beato this energetic; it was a stark contrast to how she would wear down easily in the past few months.

Ange nodded and yawned once more.

"Now Ange, remember to cover your mouth when you yawn," said Kyrie gently, "Still, you _did_ get up early, and it _is_ just about time for you to go to bed. How about I take you back to the guest house and lay you down for a nap, and I'll come back to get you when it's time for cake if you still wish?"

"That would be nice," yawned Ange.

Kyrie smiled at Rudolf before scooping Ange up in her arms and beginning to walk to the guest house. "You know, it's still kind of weird that Ange will be an aunt while she is still young enough to get tired at this point in the evening," remarked Battler, "But she seems to be doing okay with getting ready for the baby."

"Yes, she _does_ seem to be looking forward to it," muttered Rudolf as he cut up his chicken, "When she's a bit older, you could think of having her around as a baby-sitter, if she wants."

Battler noticed Beato was rubbing her back with both hands, a habit she had developed recently. Whenever he saw her do that, it would set off an alarm in his head. He remembered that an aching back was one of the signs of labour he had read about. He asked, "Are you feeling all right, Beato?"

"My back," winced Beato, "It hurts."

Battler jumped out of his seat. "Are you in labour? Stay right here; I'll find someone who can—"

"_Battler,"_ said Beato sharply, using one arm to grab Battler and place him back in his chair, "I am _not_ in labour. If I were, I would let you _know."_

Battler, feeling foolish, said, "Oh. Then, ah...let me know." He laughed, "How silly of me; what are the chances of this baby being born on the island anyway, ihihi!"

* * *

Elsewhere at another table, there was a significant amount of tension between the four sitting at said table—Krauss, Natsuhi, Jessica, and Sento. They were all eating in a rather uncomfortable silence. It felt strange to have a family member whom was long believed to be dead be sitting with them. And only one of these people at the table knew what said family member's _real_ agenda was.

Natsuhi was feeling especially uncomfortable, almost on the verge of a headache. She wanted to go back inside and take an aspirin—hopefully, stay inside for the rest of the night. Yet the thought of leaving Sento as he was now left her with a feeling of guilt; even if she was only going to leave him for a short while...

"Sento," Natsuhi finally said, "do you find the dinner satisfying?"

Sento looked up at Natsuhi. "Yes, this is just fine," he said, "I find the potatoes especially delicious."

"And do you have enough?" asked Natsuhi.

Sento nodded; nonetheless, Natsuhi said, "Are you _sure?_ If there's ever more of anything you need, just...just let me know, all right?"

Sento just continued to eat his dinner. He looked over at Jessica, who did not seem to be thinking much about food, either; he could see her observing Yoshiya, who was standing just outside the chapel in observation.

_What does she see in him, anyway?_ thought Sento bitterly. _What makes him so special? Pity I can't choose him to be one of the first few victims right away..._

Deciding to raise this to Krauss and Natsuhi's attention, Sento said, "Looking at anyone in particular, sister?"

Jessica realized Sento had just seen her looking over at Joshua and snapped her focus back to her dinner. "Oh, um," she said, "I was just thinking about what to do when we finally get to dance."

"Seeing how we're all family here," said Natsuhi, "I suppose it would be all right for the cousins to go dancing with one another. Perhaps you could give Maria a little spin?"

"Right," muttered Jessica. She snuck a quick glare over at Sento before stabbing at the chicken with her fork. He had noticed her looking over at Yoshiya, and was _trying_ to draw her parents' attention to it. What gave _him_ that right? _Why_ was he so set on doing it in the first place? To annoy her?

Well...if he was, she was not going to give him that pleasure. She would show him a thing or two.

* * *

All the plates were cleared away within twenty minutes, all toasts had been made, and it was just about time for the cake to be cut, and a dance to be had. Unfortunately, Natsuhi's headache was not better within that time. Now, she felt as though her head were slowly being crushed by a giant hand.

"Natsuhi," said Krauss, holding his wife's hand, "do you wish to go inside for a little bit?"

Natsuhi nodded. She looked over at Jessica and said weakly, "Jessica...look after your brother for me."

She slowly stood up and, with Krauss' help, walked together to the mansion, leaving brother and sister to sit beside one another. Sento turned to Jessica and said, "So tell me, dear sister...has our mother always suffered from such headaches?"

"Yeah, from what I've heard," she said slowly, "But if you're so set on _hating_ everyone in the family, why would _you_ be concerned?"

Sento did not answer and only looked forward to the newlywed couple each using one hand to hold the knife together. "I hear the flavour is French Vanilla," he said, "Not my favourite, but it'll do."

The knife slid through the surface and the first slice was cut.

* * *

"Are you enjoying your slice, Ange?" said Kyrie gently. Ange seemed to be slightly more awake after her nap, but still looked as though she needed to get to bed soon.

"Mmm-hmm," nodded Ange with her mouth full, "Thish ish good!"

Battler was about to gently remind Ange not to talk with her mouth full when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned in his seat and stood up to see Jessica. "Battler," she said almost urgently, "may I speak to you for a minute? In private?"

Battled turned to his parents, who gave a shrug to indicate he could do whatever he pleased. He looked over at Beato, who smiled with a moustache made out of icing. He turned back to Jessica and nodded. Jessica took him by the wrist and led him through the chapel doors. She took him halfway down the aisle before stopping.

"Jessica?" said Battler. "Is something wrong?"

Jessica's brow furrowed. "Battler," she said, "I don't know how else to tell you, but...something went on in the meta-world."

"Right, Sento told me," nodded Battler.

"What _exactly_ did he tell you?" said Jessica, not noticing one of the chapel doors slowly creaking open.

"He said the baby was never in any danger, and that the whole purpose of it was to confirm his existence," said Battler. He paused and stroked his chin. "Although, I had the feeling he wasn't telling me _everything."_

"And with good _reason,"_ said Jessica, "You see—"

"Wait, does this have anything to do with you being missing in bed this morning?" asked Battler suddenly. He wasn't sure if there was a connection between the two, but it was worth a shot.

"Eh, sort of," said Jessica slowly, "Last night, I slept with Sento."

Jessica realized from Battler's gaping mouth that her words had come out the _wrong way_. And she realized it even more when Sento strutted up the two of them and laughed, "Spreading rumours about us, dear sister?"

"No, that didn't come out right!" cried out Jessica, her entire face burning. "What I meant was—we slept together in the same bed—but it was totally innocent! We were handcuffed! But...er..."

_I should probably shut up now,_ she thought, her face growing even hotter, _Not only am I making it sound like...like something else...but Sento is here now; I can't tell Battler about Sento's real plan with him standing right there!_

Battler stammered, "So—you two—you—and he—are—"

"Rest assured brother," laughed Sento, deciding to help his sister save face, "It was totally innocent. Jessica found a pair of handcuffs, decided to show them to me, and we accidentally wound up locked up together for the rest of the night. The deal was that she was to start treating me with more respect as her brother. Do you see anything wrong with that?"

Battler was still reluctant to buy any of Sento's words, but he supposed it would have to do for now; at the very least, he hoped Sento's explanation about what had happened last night was true. "Sounds fine to me," he said slowly, "So...there's nothing between...?"

"_No," _said Jessica firmly.

A soft melody could be heard from outside. It sounded like a tune on a violin...Kumasawa's violin...

"That's right," said Battler, "The dancing is about to start. George-aniki and Shannon should be having their dance right now. I'm going to go outside and wait. You two want to come?"

"No, I think we will wait here for a while yet," spoke Sento in Jessica's place, "This chapel is rather...peaceful."

Battler looked at Sento and Jessica oddly before turning to leave. _Are they...could they be...?_

He took one last look at them before silently stepping just outside the chapel: _Nah, of course not._

As soon as Battler stepped out, Sento turned to Jessica. "Dear sister," he spoke in a voice that chilled Jessica, "you weren't about to tell Battler about our little _deal,_ now were you?"

"He—he had every right to know!" said Jessica defensively, wishing she had remembered to bring her brass knuckles with her now. "If it concerns the life of our _family—"_

Sento placed a finger on Jessica's lips. "Hush, dear sister," he whispered, "There is someone dancing outside. You wouldn't want to _ruin_ such a moment with accusations you have no proof of, now would you?" Gently, he removed that finger. "And I do _so_ look forward to dancing."

"Hopefully, you'll have a nice time," said Jessica stiffly. Then, "So when is...'it'...being done? Right after everyone else has gone to bed?"

"Ah, am I getting to be _that_ predictable already?" sighed Sento, though it was easy to tell he was pleased at his sister's accuracy. "What a pity. Perhaps I should provide more of an element of surprise?"

"And how exactly would you provide this...'surprise'?" asked Jessica. She could hear the melody gradually slowing down. She hoped it would eventually stop all together...

"If I told you," said Sento with a grin, "it wouldn't be a surprise anymore, now would it?" Then, "You seem to like that Yoshiya a lot. Why, I wonder? Why is he so important to you?"

Jessica looked Sento in the eye and said, "Because I love him."

Sento stuffed his hands into his pockets, feeling something odd...a sensation where he wondered what Yoshiya had that he lacked, not that he knew why he cared. "You _love_ him now, hmm? That's right—don't all girls go for the quiet boys nowadays?"

"If you're thinking of going after Yoshiya," Jessica began, but Sento cut her off: "Who said anything about going after him? Although...there is something I would like to know...if I offered to spare Yoshiya's life in exchange for you sleeping with me, would you take me up on that offer?"

Jessica held up her guard and said, "Of course not; I would have no way of knowing you would follow up on your word. You could just be lying, for all I know; you could kill him after having your way with me, and be glad you just got your worth out of me. In fact, if you gave me such an offer, I would reply by punching you in the nose with my brass knuckles."

Sento raised his eyebrows. "Good for you; that was a test. Seems you're still sharp as ever."

The melody on the violin began to pick up. It seemed George and Shannon's dance was still not over.

Jessica was beginning to get tired of this talk, so she said, "Sento...is it possible that the reason you hate nearly everyone is because you're _jealous?"_

"Jealous?" scoffed Sento. "The green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on, as the bard would say? What would I have to be jealous _of?"_

"That doctor," said Jessica, struggling to remember, "You said he wasn't too affectionate with children, right? And you also said that orphanage you grew up in didn't give the children much affection, either. But for the most part, the cousins and I give and receive affection from each other, if not our parents. We listen to each other about our lives, and _care._ We're almost like a group of friends...we would be, if we didn't live so far apart. You've never had that, have you?"

Sento turned away. Jessica went on, hoping her words would somehow reach him: "I don't think you have. I think you _wish_ you had that. I think you somehow just want to be a part of us, but don't know _how._ Sometimes, I wonder...I wonder if you really are as evil as you let on in the meta-world, or if you are just a showman. I don't think you're a monster, Sento; I think you _are_ capable of feeling lo—"

"_Shut up,"_ said Sento icily.

Jessica spoke no more, realizing she had said enough. Now, the violin tune had ceased, and there was only clapping. Wordlessly, she and Sento left the chapel together.

* * *

Just about everyone had stood up to dance. Along with George and Shannon, many of the parents were dancing together to the tune of the violin (sans Krauss and Natsuhi, who had yet to return). Beato and Battler, the parents-to-be, were also dancing, albeit somewhat awkwardly. Even Rosa took the time to dance with Maria. The only ones not dancing were Ange (who had fallen asleep at her table), Sento, Jessica, and Yoshiya.

Here, Jessica was vaguely reminded of a middle-school dance from a coming-of-age western film: A young couple that was attracted to one another, yet too shy to make the first move. Of course, most students in these films were of the same economic and social class, and did not have to worry about one being an heiress and another being a servant.

Then again...the students in said films weren't in danger of being killed, either. And wasn't that why she had finally consummated her love with Yoshiya—because she had vowed to live every day as if it could be her last? And that was why she should dance with him now—because this night _could_ be their last.

This in mind, Jessica stood up and marched right over to Yoshiya. "Yoshiya," she said, "would you like to dance?"

Yoshiya looked at Jessica's hand, then looked over her shoulder at some of the adults dancing. "Jessica," he said, "are you certain...?"

Jessica slipped her hand into his. "Absolutely."

The two young lovers stepped out together into the grass and began to dance hand-in-hand. They danced to the soft, sweet melody, ignoring the stares from the adults. At this moment, they did not matter—_none _of them mattered. When they looked into each other's eyes, there would be no one else but them. They had their love, and no one could take that away from them.

They stopped dancing. Feeling as though it were just them, they closed their eyes, leaned in, and shared a deep, sweet kiss. This was so perfect, as it was. Nothing could go wrong...

"Jessica?"

Absolutely nothing...

"_JESSICA!"_

The two young lovers were abruptly pulled apart by a pair of hands, each nearly being thrown to the ground. To their horror, they realized they had been pulled apart by a furious-looking Krauss, with an equally furious-looking Natsuhi.

"So," said Rudolf, "Jessica has _none_ of these forbidden love stories, you said?"

"And she _never_ will," said Krauss coldly.

No. This couldn't be happening _now._ This might be their last chance together, and she wasn't going to let her parents ruin it for the world...

Hah. If this was their last chance...why not let them know?

"Of course I do!" said Jessica defiantly. She took a step back towards Yoshiya and linked her arm in his. "We're in love."

There were some gasps among the adults. Eva couldn't even use her fan to hide her smile.

"Ushiromiya Jessica," Natsuhi began, but Jessica cut her off: "We have _been_ in love for _months_ now. In fact...we slept together. Yes, you heard me right—I, Ushiromiya Jessica, daughter of the current head of the family, gave her virginity to—"

"_ENOUGH!"_ boomed a red-faced Krauss. Jessica did not let this faze her, and she said firmly, "And you know what? I have absolutely _no_ regret over it."

Fuming, Krauss said coldly, _"Enough._ And you," he pointed to Yoshiya, "get into the mansion _now_ and wait for Natsuhi and I in the room you and your sister once shared. We are going to have a little chat with our _daughter."_

Yoshiya took one look over at Jessica and linked his arm even tighter, shooting Krauss a defiant look. Clearly, he was not the same boy to be called 'furniture' anymore.

"Kanon," spoke Kumasawa, laying her violin aside, "Come with me. We will wait together."

Yoshiya began to speak, but Jessica said, "It's okay, Yoshiya. I can handle them on my own."

She smiled at Yoshiya. She unlinked her arm from his and gave him one, last, quick defiant kiss before separating. They exchanged a smile as he began to walk away.

Then, she looked over to her parents, both of whom wore the same, furious look upon their faces. _"In the chapel,"_ ordered Krauss, _"Now."_

Jessica knew better than to further test their limits out here. She silently walked into the chapel and a further ways down the aisle before stopping at the sound of her parents closing the door behind them. She turned to face them, ready for whatever they were about to throw her way.

"You told us there was nothing going on," said Krauss angrily, "You said it was just an infatuation."

"I lied," said Jessica boldly, "I said what I had to say to protect the one I love."

"Stop saying you love him _right now,"_ said Natsuhi sharply.

"You can tell me to stop _saying _it, but there is no way you can stop me from _feeling_ it," retorted Jessica.

"Don't you _dare_ talk back to us!" said Natsuhi shrilly, feeling another headache coming on. "How could you sleep with _him?_ How could you _disregard_ the family name? What if you had gotten _pregnant _and had something to _show_ for your _disgrace?_ In fact, _are_ you pregnant right now?"

"No," said Jessica steadily, "No, I am not. If I were, I'd be out to _here."_ She stretched her hand out a few inches ahead of her stomach. "Yoshiya and I only slept together _once_—months ago. But if we had the time, I would _gladly_ take that risk, even if it meant ruining _everything!"_

This was a lie—she could clearly see Beato's situation was not a fun one to be in at all. But at this moment, she felt determined to show as much defiance as possible.

"And if I were," she went on, "you wouldn't be concerned about it affecting my _future—_you'd only worry about what it would do to the family _name._ At least Uncle Rudolf cared more about—"

Krauss slammed his fists down onto the pews to silence his defiant daughter. "Young lady," he said harshly, "you have left your mother and I no choice. First thing tomorrow, _he_ is going to be transferred elsewhere, _far_ away from Rokkenjima."

Jessica opened her mouth to protest, but Natsuhi said, "This is for your own good, Jessica. Having a romantic relationship with a servant isn't proper for the daughter of the head of the family."

"_Yoshiya is not just some servant!"_ shrieked Jessica, part of her guiltily hoping for Sento to come in and murder her parents on the spot. _"And I don't give a damn about being the daughter of the head of the family!_ Battler is going to be the next head, and I don't _want_ any part of that—he can _take it_. And hopefully, he'll let his own child be happy with whomever it wants to be with, and not stifle them for the sake of looking _proper."_

She felt her chest tighten. She was on the verge of an asthma attack; nonetheless, she said, "And if you're going to transfer Yoshiya out...then you'll just have to transfer me _with_ him. Revoke my status, and I'll be furniture along with him wherever he goes. Disown me, change my name, do whatever you want, but _don't_...don't keep Yoshiya and me apart."

Natsuhi folded her arms across her chest. "If that is how feel, then your father and I will send you to an all-girls university out of Japan, where you will learn to be a proper lady."

"I...I..." Jessica coughed and just about felt herself drown on dry land before pulling out her inhaler and taking a few puffs into it. She heard her father telling her to go to her room and think about what she had done.

Once Jessica could breathe, she looked steadily at both of her parents and said coldly, "I hate you." Feeling tears sting her eyes, she marched right past them, out of the chapel, and straight to the mansion. For now, she would obey. She would go to her room, and think of her two dilemmas.

First, how to prevent the murders in the present.

Second, how to convince her parents to let her have a future with Yoshiya.

* * *

The dancing was over. The tables and chairs had been folded and packed up. And Sento was sitting in the parlour, thinking about what had happened nearly half an hour ago. What had been exchanged between Jessica and her parents was no secret; all three had been shouting so loud they could be heard by all guests even with the door closed.

So Yoshiya was getting transferred out...if he or the people intending to transfer him out lived to tomorrow...that one person whom he had felt a burning hatred towards for no particular reason would be out of the way.

And yet...he was bothered. Not by Yoshiya leaving, but by the tears streaming down Jessica's face as she had marched past him on her way out of the chapel. She must _really_ love him, he reasoned, or else she wouldn't be getting so upset over the idea of him leaving, nor would she be so passionate in declaring her love for him.

But to hear her willing to give up all of this to be with him...

He turned his head at the sound of footsteps. In came Natsuhi and Krauss, both of whom looked as though they had just managed to calm themselves down. They took a seat down on a nearby couch, not appearing to notice the son whom they were coming around to acknowledging.

Sento wondered if he had time to try to make things right for Jessica's sake before...

Sento stood up and walked over to where Natsuhi and Krauss were sitting. "You know," he said, "just about everyone heard what went on in the chapel."

Krauss focused his gaze straight ahead. "Did they now," he said flatly.

Sento nodded. "Yes, and...well, I couldn't help but think you were sounding a tad harsh..."

"You stay out of this," said Krauss sharply, standing up along with his wife, "This doesn't concern you."

"If this is about my sister's happiness," said Sento, "Then I would have to say yes, it does concern me."

"Sento," said Natsuhi, trying to keep herself from getting angry again, "We do not tolerate backtalk from _anyone,_ and that includes you. I am sorry, but you will have to leave this matter as it is."

A light bulb went off in Sento's head as to how he could go about luring these people into his trap. Why not take advantage of the situation now as it was?

"I apologize," said Sento, "I will try not to make that same mistake again." He paused. "I have a few things I would like to talk to you about, though. Do you think, perhaps, the two of you could meet me in the kitchen for a little talk? I have an important matter I need to discuss. I may also need to bring a few other people with me, if that is all right."

"What is it you need to talk about exactly?" said Krauss. "Can't it wait until morning?"

"Actually," said Sento, "no; it is...quite urgent. It will only take a few minutes to settle."

Natsuhi looked over at Krauss. "Krauss," she said, "don't you think we owe Sento at least a few minutes of our time? If it's not going to take _that_ long..."

This woman...she was so trusting...so eager to atone for her mistakes...

"On second thought," said Sento, "if Krauss does not wish to come, he does not have to. In fact, would it be all right if Jessica came along instead?"

"_Jessica?"_ said Natsuhi sharply. "Why would this concern her, too?"

"It's...a personal matter," said Sento slowly, "But please, try not to let what happened tonight get in the way of our discussion. I will personally make sure Jessica is on her best behaviour tonight. If she dares say anything disrespectful, I will keep her in-line. But before we go for her, though, there are a few more people I would like to have be there with us..."

* * *

Crying into her pillow helped Jessica calm down somewhat. She had changed out of her dress and was now wearing her more casual outfit—her purple cardigan, blouse, tie, and skirt. As she rolled on her socks and slipped on her shoes, she realized with a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach that if her parents were to die tonight, her last words to them would be _"I hate you."_

At the time, her anger had told her she was justified in saying such harsh words. Now, she felt like a spoiled brat. What if they died tonight? Would Sento choose them as his first victims? Would he at least allow her to say goodbye?

She had just put her hair up in a ponytail when she heard the door slowly open. She looked up and in came Sento. She sprang up and said sharply, "What are you doing here?"

"I just want to talk," said Sento calmly, walking over to her, "Mother is standing just outside the room."

Jessica felt grateful to have her brass knuckles up her sleeve. He was here to round up his victims; she just _knew_ it. How could she have been so naive and stupid to think anything she said would change his mind?

"We're just going to the kitchen for a little chat," said Sento casually, "And it isn't _just_ mother standing outside, of course—Battler, Beato, and...Rudolf...are all waiting with her. I just need you to come along with us to the kitchen."

_Mom, Battler, Beato, Uncle Rudolf, and me,_ thought Jessica, _That makes five of us, so he can't be using the witch's epitaph to—oh wait. Maybe he counts the baby as number six? But he wouldn't actually..._

She was caught off-guard by Sento leaning in and whispering, "You want to save the family, don't you? Now's your chance."

Wait...why would he say this? Was this another trap? Another mind game? Why would he tell her he was giving her a chance to save her family? Had she been right all along...?

Sento leaned back and said, "Well? Are you coming?"

If he really was giving her a chance, then...

"I'm coming," said Jessica. She followed Sento out of her room, feeling ready to fight.

* * *

Sento felt a slight hint of nausea as he approached the kitchen. This was it...this was what he came here for...it was his job to carry it out...

_Perhaps Jessica is right. Perhaps, if I gave them the chance, they might accept me..._

No.

He couldn't think like that anymore.

He had come too far to turn back now.

Sento opened the door to the kitchen and allowed the others to go in ahead of him. Then, he took a key he had managed to swipe earlier that day, turned it in the lock, and closed the door behind him.


	29. Chapter 29

29

Jessica looked over at her mother, who was completely unsuspecting to all this...like everyone else...

Was there something that could still be done? Or would she have to leave it up to fate? Well, she had her brass knuckles ready if Sento was going to try anything...but would that be enough?

Sento stepped over to just behind a counter. "I have gathered you all here for a very good reason," he started, "I think it is time we let out little...issues...out on the table. Or perhaps I should take care of that job?"

He paced behind the counter. "As you all know, I haven't exactly been treated like the most valued one in the family. I was born out of lust, into a marriage done solely to protect the family name. What's more, I had a brother born to another woman at around the same time I was born. That's right—my brother was born to the woman whom our father _loved;_ isn't that right, _Rudolf?"_

Rudolf wasn't sure how to respond to this. He hadn't been sure what to expect of this meeting, but he didn't expect _this._ He said, "Sento..."

"And wasn't it nice for _you,_ brother," said Sento, gesturing over to Battler, "to have the life I _would've_ had, had it not been for our father's _cowardice?"_

Rudolf stepped forward. "Now see here, young man—"

"And wasn't it nice for my dear _sister,"_ Sento looked over at Jessica, "to be treated with the proper respect for being a _biological_ heir? To be viewed as a blessing, not a _stigma?_ Were you not proof that Ushiromiya Natsuhi was indeed capable of having children? And wasn't I a symbol of her infertility?"

"Sento," Natsuhi spoke up, but Sento continued: "Even if fate insisted it had to be like this, that I should not be raised by my biological parents, than I might've been happy living in this home. My being around should not have affected Jessica's birth; I might've been a good big brother to her. Instead," he stopped pacing and turned his gaze to the reflective counter, "I was not accepted by my father _or_ my mother. I was brought up in an orphanage, not knowing anything about my family. As far as I knew...they might as well be dead."

His fingers curled under the edges of the counter. "The doctor who brought me up knew almost _nothing_ about how to make a child feel warm or welcome. All he did was prevent me from starving myself, as I would have had I the spine to run away from the orphanage."

He looked up at Battler and Beato, not noticing the odd wince Beato had across her face. "In some ways, I envy you," he said almost darkly, "You have a family...a beautiful wife...a child on the way..."

"Well, it's not like I'm viewed as the pride and joy of the family, given what's happened," said Battler slowly.

"They'll accept it," said Sento, on the verge of seething with pent-up jealousy and rage, "In time, they will come to accept it and treat the child of the next head as though it were a blessing. Then again, that just shows the hypocrisy of this family, _doesn't it?_ If you were just an ordinary teenager in a family that didn't concern itself over matters of inheritance, you'd still be the black sheep to this day. You and Beato _both."_

"Mm-hmm," said Beato tightly, feeling cramps akin to those she had around her period, only _much_ worse...

"And by the way, I find it just _wonderful,"_ he spat the word out, "that Beato should manage to overcome her own personal demons despite growing up as an _actual_ orphan herself, and being raised for the purpose of...but that doesn't matter. What matters..."

He looked around the group of five sheep chosen for the wolf's den. "Yes...what matters...is that tonight...you will all see how much this has _really_ affected me."

He turned around and walked over to one of the counters against the wall. Jessica's heart sped up, and she began to reach up one sleeve to slip on the brass knuckles.

He opened up a series of drawers in hopes of finding the one he was looking for. Somewhere, there was a drawer where all the knives were kept. He was not sure which one it was, but it would be this drawer that would seal the fate of the doomed five standing here before him.

_All I have to do is find the correct drawer,_ he thought, _and then...within a matter of minutes...this will all be over._

But would it be over? Or would he still feel the rage, the pain—and then the guilt? Furthermore...why wasn't Jessica doing anything to stop him? He had expected her to at least _say_ something to force him to confess. Was she or wasn't she going to protect her family at whatever cost like she kept _saying_ she would?

What if...what if she didn't say or do anything early enough...and he had to _kill_ her?

He had made sure to make his drawer opening look casual, just so he could sneak a quick glimpse before subtly pushing each drawer shut. Nothing so far, but this drawer _had_ to be it. He slowly pulled it a few inches open...

A hand on his shoulder.

"Sento."

Sento turned his head to see a teary-eyed Natsuhi. "Sento," she spoke again, her voice wavering, "I am so, so, _so_ sorry. And not just for what I did...but for denying what I had done."

"What are you talking about?" said Rudolf sharply. He, too, had taken a few steps towards his other son, but was not as close as Natsuhi was, afraid to come any closer.

"I...I lied," said Natsuhi quietly. She choked, "I've _been_ lying all these years!"

She drew her hand away and sobbed, "I—it's time I c—confessed to—to an attempted murder twenty years ago..."

Sento hadn't expected _this_ to happen. Of course, thanks to information acquired in the meta-world, he already knew what Natsuhi was about to confess. Yet he was curious to hear what she was going to say, so he turned his attention away from the drawer and listened to her speak.

"One day," said Natsuhi, her voice quivering, "there was this servant who would attend to you...I tried going out for a walk alone, but...but she kept following...and you wouldn't stop crying...I was unable to tell her to stop. And so..."

She gulped. "When...when we got to a cliff just across the fence...I had the temptation to undo this by...by ending it all right there...then, the servant holding you twisted her ankle and stumbled, leaning on the fence. I told her to look out...and then..."

"And then you pushed her," Sento finished dully. So she had confessed. What was it about his speech that had driven her to do so? Did the mentioning of how he had nearly been killed drive her to nearly maddening guilt?

Natsuhi nodded and nearly fell to the floor sobbing, using the counter to steady herself. "If...if only it hadn't been for me..." she choked, "You would've been so much _happier..."_

She pulled Sento in for a tight hug. Once again, this touch was alien to him. He looked out of the corner of his eye at the slightly open drawer. He could not see much...but it was enough tosee the edge of a sharp, metal end...

How tempting it was to take that knife with one hand and thrust it into Natsuhi's back, and thus begin these murders...

He quickly averted his eyes. For reasons he did not know...the sight of that knife jerked his stomach as though it were being shoved right through him. He felt repulsed by it, not wanting to go anywhere _near_ it. For right now, this woman...the woman who had nearly killed him all those years ago...was holding him close like a child, sobbing and apologizing for all she had done. The sensation of this touch being alien began to fade...and it felt almost...snug...

Natsuhi let go of Sento just in time for Rudolf to step in and say harshly, "And to think I was told he died in a tragic accident. _You_ and Krauss _both_ misled me into thinking..."

"It's not like I had much of a choice!" said Natsuhi shrilly. "What would have happened if I had said..."

Rudolf turned to Sento. "I think I'm the one who owes you an apology," he said, "If it wasn't for me, and what I had done in switching you and Battler, you wouldn't have nearly been killed. As long as you're safe and alive," now he seemed to be getting nearly emotional, "I'm glad. Now that you're here in a place where you can work to a better life, I am satisfied in seeing the son whom I thought had died long ago about to live his life."

Now he chose to acknowledge his son..._now_ he was choosing to show remorse...

But what if this wasn't hypocrisy? What if...what if he actually _cared..._what if he really was sorry...?

"We can _help_ you, Sento," spoke up Jessica. She was hoping persuasion just might do the trick after all. "You can stay here, and help dad with his debts somehow. Maybe," she looked over at Natsuhi, "maybe I _will_ go to a university outside of Japan after all."

"Jessica," said Natsuhi softly, but Jessica went on: "Or I could stay here and we could _both_ help together. We will make up for how you were treated in the past. You will be _wanted,_ Sento."

Sento looked into Jessica's eyes. What if these feelings he held for her...what if...

Sento ran across the kitchen to another counter, where he leaned over the edge. He _had_ to do it, he _couldn't_ turn back now even if he wanted to...

He reached for the drawer...pulled it open...

It was another knife drawer.

Almost immediately, the sight brought upon an overwhelming nausea. Furthermore, when he tried to move his fingers towards the drawer, the nausea would grow stronger and almost overwhelm him to the point where he was going to vomit. Already, it was overwhelming him to the point where he was shaking too hard to make any moves.

"Sento?" said Natsuhi sharply. "Is something wrong?"

Sento tried to force himself to look at the knives once more. He instinctively brought his hand up to his mouth to suppress the rising bitter taste in the back of his throat. He closed his eyes and closed the drawer with one hand and drew a few, shudder breaths.

This time, it was Jessica's voice he heard: "Sento? Are you feeling all right?"

"I...I..." Sento gulped and whispered, "I can't do it." He said more loudly, "I can't do it."

"Can't do what?" asked Rudolf strangely.

Sento could only look over at Jessica, who had an almost pitying look in her eyes. "I...I can't..."

"I understand," said Jessica, subtly communicating with Sento, "Do you wish to leave?"

Sento nodded, still shaking.

"Sento," said Battler, stepping over to his brother, "It's going to be okay. We'll all be there to help you however we can, right Beato?"

He turned his head over to Beato...

And noticed a puddle of water on the floor right beneath her feet.


	30. Chapter 30

30

Battler froze up like a statue, his eyes moving back and forth from the puddle of water on the floor to the growing look of discomfort on Beato's face. "You're...you're really..."

Beato clenched her teeth and nodded, seething from the pain.

"Ah...ah..." stammered Battler, his mind going blank. What was he supposed to do _now?_ Only one thing came to mind: _Pack up the sour cream and onion chips!_

What use was _that_ supposed to be _now?_ Whatever purpose it would've served in the city served no purpose here on the island. Worse...there was no doctor...

_There was no doctor..._

Sento composed himself long enough to say, "I'll get you out of here." He slipped a small card out of his pocket, ran over to the door, slid it through the cracks, and unlocked it. He pulled it open and urged, "Well? Does this look the ideal setting to deliver a baby in to you?"

"R—right," stammered Battler, "Come on Beato, l—let's get out of here."

"_Ooooooohhhh,"_ was Beato's only response as she followed her husband out. Rudolf followed swiftly behind, as did Natsuhi. When Jessica went to follow them, Sento quickly pulled her aside. "I want you to take this key," he placed the key in Jessica's hands, "and lock the door behind you as soon as you get out."

"But," Jessica began, but Sento cut her off: "Come back to get me out in the morning. By then, it should be safe to let me out."

"I'm sure you'd be able to," Jessica tried to say, but Sento said, "Please. It's just until morning."

Jessica looked over to her mother, who was standing in the doorway looking confused as to what Jessica and Sento were talking about. She turned back to Sento and sighed, "All right. Is this to prevent you from...?"

Sento nodded. "It's pure desperation, but it's better than nothing. Now _go."_

Jessica took one last look at her desperate brother before leaving and closing the door behind her. On the other side, Sento could hear her give Natsuhi some sort of excuse about how she and Sento would catch up in just a few moments. He leaned his back against the wall, and slid down to the floor with his head in his hands.

_I came so close,_ he thought, trembling once more, _I was so close to killing my own family...so close...never again...never again..._

* * *

"Y—you're sure she'll be all right for now?" asked Battler as he sat by his pained wife's side in the guesthouse. They had managed to make it to the room they had shared on...that night...and hoped to stay there for the time being. Beato had changed out of her dress into a white, long-sleeved nightgown, which made her feel only _slightly_ more comfortable; right now, the only reason she had to feel comfortable was for her latest contraction to finally end.

"The doctor said she's in the low-risk category, right?" said Rudolf. "So I doubt something will go horribly wrong."

"But, uh...who's going to deliver the baby?" asked Battler. He looked over at Beato, who was beginning to relax ever so slightly.

Rudolf shrugged. "I'll try to find _someone_ who can do it. You should have plenty of time right now. If worse comes to worse, either I, or you, could do the job."

"Hopefully, _not,"_ muttered Battler. Then, "So you want to stick around, or...?"

"I think I'll go to bed," sighed Rudolf, who was feeling worn-out from all that had happened in one day—the wedding, the little incident after dinner, Sento's heart-to-heart chat, _and_ the impending birth of his first grandchild being well under way was overwhelming. "If anything happens, wake me. Good night, Battler."

"Night, dad," said Battler, watching his father walk out of the room. He let out a mighty sigh and sat next to Beato. Natsuhi said, "Battler...you won't need Jessica or me, will you?"

Battler shook his head. "No, I don't think so. I think I'd rather have some time alone with her."

Jessica looked over at Beato. "You sure you'll be okay, Beato?"

Beato didn't respond. She looked off over at the door, thinking about how she was so close to becoming a mother...just a couple more hours and the reality would be set in place.

"We'll both be fine," assured Battler.

He waited for mother and daughter to leave the room before getting to his side of the bed and snuggling up next to the mother-to-be. "This is it," he whispered, "We're almost there."

"I know," whispered Beato, "And I'm scared."

Battler lightly squeezed Beato's hand. "So am I," he said, "But at least we're better prepared now than we were at the start."

* * *

Natsuhi and Jessica stood together on the first floor. It had just started to rain—it was coming down slow now, leaving trickles on the windows, but it wouldn't be long before it grew stronger, as could be told by the increasingly loud thunder in the background. Neither spoke for several minutes. They just stood and watched the rain fall outside, noticing how tranquil it almost appeared to be.

Jessica looked over at her mother, who looked calmer than she had only a few hours ago. Once again, her angry words echoed through her head—_I hate you_—and she remembered how she had hoped she would get the chance to apologize for those words. And now...she had it. That chance had nearly slipped from her once. Now, she would take it.

"Hey mom," Jessica began, "do you remember when I had my very first asthma attack?"

Natsuhi closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead. "How could I ever forget?" she muttered. "You were only five. You looked so scared and helpless." She let out a shaky breath. "I had never been so scared in my life as I was then. Your father skipped out on an important meeting just to make sure you were okay. I stayed by your side right up until you could _finally_ go home."

"That's...actually what I remember the most about it," said Jessica slowly, "I remember you holding my hand, telling me everything was going to be okay..." She gulped. "Mom...I'm trying to say...I'm sorry." She bowed her head in shame. "I'm sorry I said I hate you. But I don't hate you, mom. I don't hate you or dad. I was angry and...not thinking...and..."

Choked up, she gave her mother a hug, and Natsuhi returned the embrace. "I'm sorry," Jessica sobbed out, "I don't hate you..."

"Jessica," said Natsuhi softly, "I want you to understand your father and I aren't trying to make you miserable...we're only doing what's best for the family."

"I know," said Jessica softly, sniffling, "But...I really, really care for him, and...but no matter what you decide to do about Yoshiya...I won't hold it against you."

Natsuhi gave her daughter a tight hug before releasing her. "Jessica...you realize he vowed to leave the island with his sister if she were to marry and leave anyway, don't you?"

Jessica nodded. "So...so he'll go with Shannon? I might still be able to...? I mean...if he were to quit his job, then...then he wouldn't be a servant anymore, and it would be okay, wouldn't it?"

Natsuhi let out a sigh. "This is a complicated matter, Jessica. We'll wait for things to settle down before making any major decisions tomorrow. But...I would like to say that you were wrong about something. You said that if you were to become pregnant with his child that the only thing your father and I would be concerned about would be the family name. Well yes...that would be one of our concerns...but most of all, I would be worried about how you'd be able to manage at your age. I would act similar to how your Uncle Rudolf has been acting in regards to Battler. Do you understand?"

Jessica nodded. "Well, mom...I guess we'd better head off to bed while the rain is still light. I think I would rather stay with the cousins tonight if that's okay."

Natsuhi smiled. "That would be just fine."

* * *

Sento opened his eyes and looked up at the kitchen clock. How much time had passed? It couldn't have been _that_ long since...

Eleven forty-five.

Yes, it _had_ been a few hours since the little confrontation here in the kitchen. The last thing he remembered was leaning against the wall and feeling somewhat worn-out. He supposed he must have fallen asleep.

Well, there was no harm in going back to sleep, he supposed. He closed his eyes...

"_Think you can get away with not killing anyone? Think again!"_

Sento leapt up to his feet. "Who's there?" he called out, his eyes darting across the kitchen. Jessica had locked the door. There could be no one else in here _but_ him...right?

"_Remember our little deal? I'll let go of your little slip-up and give you one last chance."_

Lambdadelta.

His mind flew back to her words. She had guaranteed some sort of grisly punishment if he did not comply with her demands...what could she do to him _now?_

"_Kill at least one person before midnight, and I just might spare you from whatever cruel punishment Bern and I have thought of, hee-hee..."_

"But there is no way out," spoke Sento, not sure where Lambdadelta's voice was coming from but hoping she could hear him, "I was locked in, and..."

"_Remember that little card in your pocket? You still have it, don't you?"_

"Yes, but," Sento tried to argue.

"_No buts! You have fifteen minutes! Now get moving!"_

Sento felt for the card in his pocket. If he ignored her request, he would be bound to face some sort of horrible torture; if he went through with it, he would have to kill the family he had nearly come to care for. What choice had he?

"I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't," sighed Sento, "So I might as well 'do'."

He felt his stomach muscles tense up, but he pushed this feeling aside and walked over to the door with the card in his hands.

* * *

"Is the baby really coming?" said a very excited Ange. She, Maria, and Jessica were the only cousins to share this room now that George and Battler were off with their respective spouses.

"Yes, the baby is on the way," said Jessica, tucking Ange and Maria in under the covers, "And it won't come any sooner if you're up all night, and you won't be able to see it if you're too tired to hold it, so get some sleep. It's five minutes to midnight."

Maria yawned. Even she was feeling tired after today's festivities. She got under the covers and closed her eyes. Ange said, "Aren't you going to sleep, too, Jessica? You're not in your pyjamas yet."

"I know," sighed Jessica, "I'll go for a little walk around the guest house. You get some sleep right now, okay?"

Ange pouted but was too tired to resist at this point. She leaned her head on the pillow and curled up next to Maria while Jessica silently walked out of the cousins' room and closed the door behind her. She had a bad feeling _something_ would go wrong. If it wasn't Sento, it might be Lambdadelta...

She tip-toed down the hall and over to the stairs, where she silently crept down, feeling like there was a crazy axe murderer behind her at this very moment even though she knew this to be false. She crept down further, feeling her breathing and heart rate increase. She had her inhaler in case she had an asthma attack, but it would not be of much use if Sento were to change his mind. At least she still had her brass knuckles...

She froze when she got to the bottom.

The door was slowly pushed open...

"_Sento,"_ hissed Jessica. She pushed aside her fear and ran over to the red-headed figure. "You've gone back on your word, haven't you?"

Sento remained stoic...for half of a second, that is. His face twisted into a happy, calm one that frightened her. "Clever, aren't we, dear sister? But now, I don't need six people to complete my task. I only need one. Shall we see whom gets whom first?"

He then turned on his heel and ran out of the guest house and away from Jessica. If this was some sort of challenge, she accepted it; she darted off after him in the rain, all the while wondering why he didn't just kill her, or make an attempt to kill her, on the spot.

The rain poured down harder, and Jessica ran faster. The thunder, in tune with Jessica's racing heart, grew louder. The distance between each flash of lightning and clap of thunder was growing shorter with the distance that stood between Jessica and Sento. Indeed, the environment seemed to quite empathetic to the conflict at hand.

Jessica finally managed to find Sento standing just on a patch of grass...no, wait, it wasn't _just_ grass...there was a certain point at which the patch seemed to end, facing a rocky surface...and even then, _it_ seemed to end...abruptly...

A cliff.

"Well, now isn't _this_ poetic justice?" sneered Sento just in time for a flash of lightning to arrive on the scene. "Let us begin, dear sister; I have looked _forward_ to this moment!"

Jessica ran a few steps forward, then stopped. She and Sento stood facing one another, taking a few steps to the side, almost circling the other's movements.

It was Sento who made the first strike. He lunged right at Jessica, who dodged his attack and grabbed him by the arm. She swung him over to the side and down to the ground. While he was still down, she grabbed the opportunity to slip on her brass knuckles, ready to fight him for when he stood.

Sento, however, anticipated her attack. Jessica had tried to fly her fist right at his face, but he dodged her attack and flew himself down to the ground, using one leg to sweep Jessica out from beneath her feet. He stood up and backed off a few feet, giving her room to stand up.

It took Jessica somewhat longer to regain her composure, all the while thinking, _Shouldn't he be taking advantage of this opportunity to kill me already?_

She finally stood up and said, "All right, Sento...let's finish this right here."

She and Sento both ran forward. She swung her fist at his arm—this time, the attempt to strike was successful. Sento stumbled back and clutched onto the spot where he had been hit. It hurt greatly—but better his arm than his face, he supposed. While he was still clinging onto his wound, Jessica let out a cry and aimed for his face, which she narrowly missed thanks to Sento dodging just in the nick of time.

Jessica then decided to simply grab him by the other arm and swing him back down to the ground. She backed up a few feet...

And managed to balance herself just in time. She spun around and looked over the edge of the cliff, seeing the rocky waves clash against the treacherous rocks down below, coming in and out. With or without the ocean's curtain covering up the rocks, it was not the least bit assuring to Jessica in the slightest.

She gasped when she felt a hand on her shoulder spin her around. Sento smirked, "It ends _here,_ dear sister."

She looked into his eyes. If he really wanted to end it here, he should've just pushed her while she still had her back to him, not spin her to face him...

Then it struck her.

Of course, he had been given plenty of opportunities to kill her. And he took none of them. He was trying to goad her into finishing him off so he wouldn't have to kill anyone in their family, because...that's right, he must still be working under _Lambdadelta..._and God only knew what _she_ had in mind for dear Sento...

"Sento," spoke Jessica, "if I wanted to end it right now, I could just take you and throw you off this cliff...like how you almost died twenty years ago. But," she got to her knees and bowed her head, "I refuse to do that. If you want to kill me, go ahead and kill me. I won't subject you to the same fate you nearly received."

"What's this now?" scoffed Sento. "My dear sister is too _cowardly_ to finish off her opponent when given the chance? Looks like you _were_ the one to be begging for mercy at the end of this after all!"

_Keep yourself together, he's just trying to get you to be the one to push him off the cliff..._

"No," she said, "cowardice has nothing to do with it. In fact...I'd just disgrace the family honour if I were to kill you now."

"Oh?" said Sento. "And why is that?"

Jessica looked up into Sento's taunting eyes and said:

"Because you're my brother and I love you."

The look in Sento's eyes flickered. They were beginning to betray him now and show his true emotion: Fear.

"N—no," he said, shaking his head, "You're just saying that so I won't kill you and you can..."

"Sento," said Jessica softly, "I've said many times that I would do _anything_ to protect my family, and that includes you. You are part of my family. I could never kill _anyone_ in my family, I just _couldn't."_

"Sh...shut up..."

"And therefore..."

"Shut up..."

"Therefore...I can't kill you."

"Shut up, I said..."

"Because I love you."

"_SHUT UP!"_ Sento screamed. He fell to his knees sobbing. Jessica pulled him in and held him close while he continued to sob, "Shut up, shut up..."

"Sento," said Jessica softly, hugging her brother tightly.

She felt Sento go limp. She heard him whisper, "Help me...Jessica..."

At that moment...the grandfather clock within the mansion struck midnight.

And at that moment...there was a bright flash of white light...


	31. The End Part 1

**A/N: We're at the end, ladies and gentlemen; however, this chapter will not be THE end; the ending will be split up into three/four (still deciding) sections and this is one of them. As a warning, this chapter may possibly also qualify for an M-rating (and not for THAT reason, mind you). You have been warned...**

* * *

The End (part 1)

_All alone he turns to stone_

_While holding his breath half to death_

_Terrified of what's inside to save his life_

_He crawls like a worm from a bird_

_-"The Bird and the Worm", The Used_

* * *

It was all very surreal...for a moment, Jessica thought she was dreaming. This certainly _resembled_ a dream, anyway. She was surrounded by nothing but blackness, much like her first meeting with Lambdadelta. She tried to accustom her eyes to the dark, yet saw no comprehensible shape up ahead, no sign of light. Should she even attempt to make any moves? Or would she fall into a bottomless black pit if she took so much as a step forward?

She stood up to her feet and said, "Sento? Where are you? Sento?"

No response. Sento had been there only a second ago; she remembered hugging him tightly at the edge of that cliff, for that was all she could do: Comfort the unfortunate young man. Now, he was not only not in her arms...he was nowhere in sight.

Jessica took a few, slow steps through the darkness, realizing this was not some dream, but a horrible, horrible reality. She knew her assumptions about Lambdadelta doing _something_ to Sento were spot-on. Was this her punishment? To force the two to forever work their way through a maze of darkness, never knowing the way out?

She also remembered a flash of white light: Had that been lightning, or was that her and Sento being taken to...wherever this was?

Instinctively, she stopped. Sento was nearby...she didn't know _how_ she knew this. She just _did._ She called out his name: "Sento?"

To her relief, she heard his voice reply, "Jessica?"

"Where are you?" asked Jessica, looking around in hopes of finding _some_ clue as to where he was hidden.

"Right next to you," said his voice, "I can see you. Can't you see me?"

Jessica looked to her left and right, but saw no one; just more darkness. "No," she said, "I can't. It's too dark."

"Not for me, apparently," spoke his voice, "I can see you plain as day. Yet you say you cannot see me? Hmph...this must be another one of Lambdadelta-sama's tricks...then again, I can't say I _didn't_ see something like this coming..."

"She...she was planning to do something to you if you didn't carry out the murders, wasn't she?" said Jessica. "And that was why..."

"Clever as ever, I see," chuckled Sento, but his voice showed no sign of sarcasm or contempt; he was just as scared and confused as his sister was. "Perhaps this is my punishment? To wander through the dark for all eternity?"

And then, all of a sudden...she saw him. He was standing to her right, looking straight ahead. A bright light encircled the two just as a witchy voice cackled, "I was _gonna_ go with that, but Bern came up with something _soooo_ much _better!_ Hee-hee-hee-hee!"

Up ahead, another bright light shone, nearly blinding the two and they shielded their eyes. When they lay their hands down, they saw two witches standing side-by-side in a similar bright encirclement: One with long, blue hair and a strange cat-like tail; the other, Lambdadelta.

"You must be Frederica Bernkastel," spoke Sento, "Pleasure to meet you. I have heard many great things about you."

"You do possess great charm and charisma," spoke Bernkastel, "I will give you that much. However, your charms will not work on me. I am the cruellest witch alive, and will show no mercy. Step forward."

Sento took a few steps towards Bernkastel and Lambdadelta, all the while keeping a calm expression on his face. Jessica knew he had to be terrified; she knew she would be, too, if she were to face the likes of _them._

"So you know _why_ you're here," said Lambdadelta, "Good for you! I trusted you to carry out your duty, and you failed. _Super big_ time. And now, Bern and I are going to have to punish you."

Sento kept his calm expression on, but he was beginning to feel frightened of whatever he might have to face. He only said, "And how shall I pay for my insolence? I assume I am going to suffer some sort of slow, painful death?"

At this, Bernkastel, having remained stoic for the first few minutes, smiled. "Death?" she said. "Who said anything about "death"? I will not kill you, nor will Lambdadelta. But rest assured, by the time you are through with this, you will _wish_ we would kill you."

There was something entirely unnerving about the way Bernkastel smiled. It was not a true smile, but a cruel, twisted smile similar to the one Lambdadelta also wore upon her face. Whatever it was they had in store for Sento...or Jessica...it had to be something ugly.

"From what I have been told of you," spoke Bernkastel, "you seem to have carried the burden of your parents' sins on your shoulders for all your life. First, there was the sin of Asumu, who used trickery to guarantee your conception, and thus ensnare Rudolf into her trap."

Sento had no idea why, but he was beginning to feel...heavy...like a sack of lead pellets...this almost threw him off-balance, but he managed to keep himself from falling over and continued to stand up, though not quite as straight as before.

"Then we have the sin of Rudolf," said Bernkastel, "Out of pure desperation, he handed you over to Kinzo, and took in his other son with Kyrie, thereby killing two, or rather _three,_ birds with one stone: Sparing his lover the burden of raising a child alone, keeping his wife happy while also keeping the family honour, _and_ saving himself one less child to take care of."

Sento's knees gave out and he fell to the ground on his face. When he tried to stand up, he realized he _couldn't;_ his arms felt too weak and his legs too heavy.

"Last but not least," said Bernkastel, "there is the sin of Natsuhi. Consumed by bitterness and humiliation of not being able to produce a child of her own, she gave in to the temptation of the demons and nearly had you killed, and you _might_ have died of starvation and exposure had you not been found by dear _Krauss."_

Sento realized to his horror that he _could not_ move. It was as though a giant weight had pinned him to the ground, preventing him from getting up. All he could do was look up into the cruel, laughing eyes of the two witches. It was Bernkastel who announced:

"A fitting punishment for you would be to have your internal organs slowly crushed with the weight of your parents' sins. Are you not a living embodiment of these sins?"

"Oh, but don't worry," said Lambdadelta in a faux-assuring tone as she looked down into the defiant yet frightened eyes of Sento, "You won't _die_ from it, seeing how this isn't the _real_ world. And I guarantee that with _certainty!"_

She and Bernkastel laughed cruelly. The punishment would begin very shortly...

Sento realized he could move his arms now. He wasn't sure _why,_ but he decided to use this opportunity to slowly attempt to sit up...

And that was when it struck.

Without any warning, Sento fell onto his back and felt a pressing weight down on his stomach, which grew heavier and heavier and heavier...

He squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, resolving not to give either of the witches the pleasure of letting them know this was getting painful. Moreover, he couldn't move or do anything to escape; he could only lie there and feel an invisible weight slowly crush his stomach, soon accompanied by a rising bitter taste in the back of his throat...

The weight was lifted and he was thrust onto his back, where he vomited acid mixed with blood, shaking. He hadn't been given even a minute to recover when he was pressed to the ground and it happened again; this time, it was his lungs that were being affected by the weight pressing down onto his back. He couldn't breathe, he realized with a sudden horror, and sounded like a sick old man when he tried. His lungs were burning, and soon, he literally _couldn't_ breathe...

But he could not die just yet. Those two witches were not done with him.

As much as he tried to suppress them, he could not stop the involuntary tears of pain that rose to his eyes just as the weight was lifted and he could breathe again. It seemed that there was some sort of guarantee that his internal organs would return to normal the minute the weight was lifted, only for them to be crushed _again._ This time, he was beginning to feel his heart being crushed...

"_STOP IT!"_

The pain abruptly stopped. He opened his eyes to see his sister holding Lambdadelta and Bernkastel both by their collars, looking absolutely _murderous._

"If you don't stop this right now," Jessica began, but Bernkastel said, "You'll do what? Use the magic of brass knuckles on me, perhaps?"

Jessica let go of each of them and took two steps back. Bernkastel said amusedly, "Now isn't _this_ an interesting gender-swap—the fair princess arrives to save her beloved knight from execution. And to think we were once dealing with the knight saving the princess...ah, those were good times."

Jessica looked at Sento out of the corner of her eye. He was lying on his side, curled up with his knees to his chest, his eyes wide with horror, his entire body shaking. She walked over to him and sat down. "It's going to be all right," she said softly, gently tucking a strand of hair off his face, "I'll do what I can to make this stop. I promise you."

Sento closed his eyes, his mind still in a state of shock, thinking only one thing: _Let this be over..._

* * *

"_So now you've learned how truly cruel Lambdadelta and Bernkastel can be, haven't you?"_

_Inside his head, Sento could see the image of Beato form before him...it was the Beato that had appeared in the meta-world many times, the one who appeared to be slightly more confident than the Beato whom he had observed in the real world. Her hair was down, and her somewhat schoolgirl-type outfit had accommodated to her bulging stomach._

"_I learned my lesson the hard way," spoke Beato, "and so have you. It can be tempting to give in to what they offer, I know. I gave in to their offer of being reunited with the boy I fell in love with. You gave in to Lambdadelta's offer as well. Tell me this: What were you hoping to gain from it? Compensation? Or family?"_

_His throat dry, his mouth bitter, Sento sighed, "Both, I suppose. And this was what I gained in return."_

"_Hope is not lost just yet," said Beato, "After all, you still have Jessica."_

_Jessica..._

_He remembered seeing her for the first time in the meta-world...and thinking she was the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on...until that moment, all he had known of her was that she was his sister, and his opponent. What he hadn't known was how he would come to feel...this...feeling...for her..._

_This feeling...he knew what it was called now...it was..._

_Love._

* * *

Even though he was still in something of a daze, Sento could hear Jessica beginning to strike a bargain:

"Just now, Sento and I were on that cliff," said Jessica, "And then there was that flash...what if a burst of lightning struck that cliff and somehow caused part of it to collapse? Make that my final challenge—for me to figure out how Sento and I could've survived."

"Interesting deal, kid," muttered Lambdadelta, "But on one condition: For every answer you get wrong, Sento's internal organs—_all _of them, all at once—get crushed. In exchange for this, you will be given an infinite amount of times you can figure out an answer to. Do we have a deal?"

Well...it was better than nothing, right? Hopefully, this shouldn't be _too_ difficult...

"It's a deal," nodded Jessica. She stood facing the two witches, prepared to do what she had to do to save her brother and herself.

"So what have you got for us, huh?" said Lambdadelta with her arms folded, eager to see how this toy planned to strike back.

"_The cliff we were on wouldn't have to be necessarily high enough for a fall to be entirely fatal,"_ Jessica argued, blue words flying around her, _"At a certain height, we might've fallen down and been seriously injured."_

Lambdadelta fought back with the red: **"The cliff you were on was high enough for any fall to be fatal, and your bodies would be shattered upon hitting the rocks, and you would be too badly injured to make it back to shore. If the fall and injuries did not kill you, the resulting drowning would CERTAINLEY do it!"**

Sento barely had any breath to scream as he felt the full-force impact of slowly being crushed alive, not just from one particular organ, but _all_ organs at the same time. He could only manage a dry gasp as blood gurgled in the back of his throat.

Jessica tried not to let the sight affect her _too_ much; any emotional upset would distract her from thinking clearly. "I was just getting warmed up," she said coolly, "Take _this!"_ In a manner similar to Battler, she pointed her finger at the two witches and declared: _"With enough luck, we might have been able to avoid falling off the cliff all together! Just as the cliff began to crumble, we ran or leaped back over to safety just in time for the remainders to fall crashing down!"_

"Taking up _that_ pose, now are we?" said Lambdadelta smugly. "Would you still feel proud enough to carry it if I told you _this?_ **There was not enough space or time for either of you to run away! You were close enough to the edge that you were taken down with the cliff's remains!"**

Sento had been given only seconds to recover when it began again—this time he was flipped over onto his back where now, his bones _and_ his organs were both affected. He heard a horrible cracking sound as he felt every bone in his body be crushed, and, from a certain perspective, he looked like a limp ragdoll. This time, the blood in his throat trickled down the corners of his mouth.

Even with his recovery within a few seconds, he couldn't call it a _true_ recovery; it was only a matter of time until the pain began once again. He could never recall a moment in his life where he had ever felt pain that was truly _this_ awful.

Jessica, though shaken up by Sento's worsening condition, still had the strength to say, "I can still take you both down with this: _As we fell, we grabbed onto the rocks on the cliff and began to slowly climb down. Once we were within a safe distance of landing, we jumped and swam back to shore."_

Lambdadelta smirked. "Now see, that _would_ actually be a good theory if it weren't for one, teensy little detail: **There were sharp rocks at the bottom! Even if it looked safe to land from your distance, there would be no way you could guarantee a safe landing! You would've broken every bone in your bodies, be unable to swim back, and DROWN! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"**

Sento let out an agonized scream for half a second as it began again, this time with such violent force that it caused him to violently vomit up blood. This time, the pain seemed to go on for _much_ longer than usual. At this point, normally, a person having to withstand that sort of torture to the point where they vomited blood would be dead. But of course, Lambdadelta's certainty prevented this from being so.

"Don't feel bad, Jessica," purred Lambdadelta teasingly, "You don't have a time limit or anything; you can go about trying to figure this out for _years,_ and nothing _too_ bad will happen to you—just to your _brother,_ hee-hee!"

The more Sento suffered, the more it began to affect Jessica's state of mind. She couldn't think straight; all she could think about was how her brother had no dignity left while she stood here wasting her time. She did the only thing that came to mind: She ran over to Sento, bent down next to him, and used her sleeve to wipe off some of the blood on his chin.

"Jessica," Sento choked out, "let this end already."

"It will soon, I promise," said Jessica, trying very hard to keep herself from breaking down and crying, "I think...I think I've just about..."

"No," said Sento weakly, "End it...by coming up with a way for you to survive...and for me to die. Then I won't have to feel this...anymore..."

"Sento!" said Jessica sharply, holding onto one hand. "I can't do that! I'll find a way for us _both_ to survive; I'm so close to figuring it out. Just give me a chance..."

"Jessica," said Sento strenuously, tears welling up in his eyes, "Please...I beg you...have mercy..."

Jessica's mind flew back to the conversation she and Sento had the night before...about they had both declared they would have the other beg for mercy at the end of it. And now...

"I," Jessica kept herself from _completely _breaking down but could not prevent two, hot tears from streaming down her face, "I'm sorry." She paused for a minute, ignoring Lambdadelta and Bernkastel's almost comical bantering in the background:

"See, I told you, Bern! Jessisento makes such a cute couple!"

"I personally think Jessikanon has more of a forbidden edge to it, thus is more appealing."

"I haven't been this entertained since BeaBato!"

Jessica closed her eyes to think, blocking the nonsensical terms out of her head. It was coming to her now...slowly but surely...a way for this to end...

"Lambdadelta," she spoke, "if I come up with an explanation for Sento to live...then will his pain end? Will his insides be intact as though there were no damage inflicted onto them?"

"Depends on what happens," shrugged Lambdadelta, "He might break a bone or two, but otherwise...yeah, I guess we _could_ return him intact."

"That's what I was hoping," muttered Jessica. She said, "Sento...close your eyes and sleep now...this will be over soon, I can guarantee that."

Sento gulped and said, "Jessica? Before you go, I have to say something to you. Then I will close my eyes."

Jessica decided she would stay long enough to hear this, then she would fight one last time. Sento looked up into her eyes and said:

"I love you."

Then...he gently closed his eyes and relaxed his body, as though knowing his suffering would be over soon.

Jessica slowly stood up. He had said those words as "aishiteru"...the romantic context...

"Got something?" said Lambdadelta impatiently.

Jessica turned to face the two witches. Then, to both their surprise and hers...she pulled out a blue sword from the ground and stood, ready to battle.

"B—Bern," gasped Lambdadelta, "She...she has a definitive answer!"

"Yes, it does appear the probability of her winning has significantly increased from zero, hasn't it?" said an amused Bernkastel. "It has been great fun, Lambda."

She began to disappear just as Jessica fiercely declared, "I was not finished with my previous statement! _Indeed, we might have grabbed onto the rocky surface. Indeed, we might have begun to climb down to the bottom. _What was not mentioned before was that _at some point during the treacherous climb, when we were a few feet from the bottom, Sento slipped and broke both his legs on the rocks below! I kept my cool and climbed the rest of the way down, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead! _And this...is _CHECKMAAATE!"_

She swung the sword over her head and was not sure where exactly it struck, whether it struck Lambdadelta or the ground—for just as it struck at a certain point mid-air, there was a blinding bright light...

* * *

Jessica opened her eyes and realized she was falling...the lightning had struck the cliff and—

_The cliff!_

While she still had the chance, she grabbed onto the rocky surface and slowly climbed down using the rocks that stuck out, but carefully, as they were slippery. In a flash, she remembered all that had happened in that dark place.

That's right; she was supposed to be here.

And Sento...

Jessica knew it would not be wise for her to look down; all she could do was climb down slowly and carefully until she was certain she had reached the bottom, whenever that may be.

She wasn't sure how long she had gone on for when she heard a cry, which was shortly followed by a sharp thud. She took this moment to look down. She wasn't _too_ far from the surface...but she was still too high up to be able to jump down safely, as evidence by Sento's horribly bent, broken legs. Sento himself appeared to still be alive, though in much pain.

Jessica was tempted to jump from this point, but she remained calm and climbed down the rest of the way until she could safely let go. Being careful not to slip on any of the rocks, she made her way over to Sento. "Sento?" she said. "How does it feel?"

Sento said through gritted teeth, "Does it _look_ like it _tickles?"_

Jessica remembered hearing somewhere that, in theory, it might be possible for a person with broken legs to still be able to swim just fine. But she wasn't going to take any chances; she took him by both arms and slowly moved him across the rocks (though not being too successful in preventing it from hurting when his legs were moved across the rougher rocks). Then, just as the next wave came in, she lowered herself into the water while still holding onto Sento's arms. She slowly pulled him closer and closer to her before beginning the (hopefully short) swim back to shore.

It was now that she realized how rough the sea had grown. She pushed against the current and said, "Just relax and float."

This was easier said than done, for the current was going in one direction while Jessica was trying to move in the other. Without warning, the two were swept under by a rough current.

Determined not to give up, Jessica pulled both her and Sento above the water, gasping for air while holding Sento's head up. "H—hold on! We're just about—there—!"

The current, however, seemed determined to keep pushing the two back underwater as they swam further up to shore. The process was beginning to wear down Jessica; physically, she felt like giving up. Emotionally, she kept on telling herself, Not that much further, just keep going...

She realized her grip on Sento had begun to loosen as a wave came and swept him away. She looked back and forth between the shore and Sento. Right now she had a choice: She could swim back to shore and save herself, or she could go back for Sento and risk them both drowning.

Deciding she had gone too far to give up on her brother now, Jessica fought through the choppy waters up to Sento and grabbed onto him, holding him tight in her arms.

"You—idiot!" Sento gasped, though he instinctively held on to Jessica. "You could've gone and saved yourself..."

"And live with the guilt of leaving my brother to die?" said Jessica. "I don't think so!"

She began to chop back through the waters...her arms were getting heavy...and she was running out of breath...

"We can do it," she panted, though she wasn't too sure if she could, "We're...getting...there..."

"And if we don't?" inquired Sento.

Jessica wanted to tell him not to think so negatively...but she was beginning to have her doubts at this point, and so she replied, "If we don't...we'll go down together. I'm not going to abandon you no matter what. If we die, it's here...together."

Just as she had finished her sentence, she noticed something flying through the air, then landing in the water right in front of her. A life saver...?

Not questioning where it came from or who might be on the other line of it, she grabbed onto it with one hand while still holding onto Sento with the other, and felt that merciful tug on the other end pulling the two in. As they neared shore, she saw the faces of two people quite clearly, both of whom were tugging on the rope of the life saver. And they were...

"Mom," breathed Jessica just as she and Sento made it to shallow ground, "Yoshiya."

"Jessica! Sento!" cried out Natsuhi. She ran right up to them and helped Jessica with Sento the rest of the way, gasping in horror upon the realization that Sento's legs were broken.

"I noticed you two out at sea," explained Yoshiya, "I knew the current was too strong for me to swim through, so I ran back to the guest house to retrieve a lifesaver. Along the way, I ran into..."

"Right," muttered Jessica.

Natsuhi settled Sento down on dry sand and said, "What happened to you?"

"Sento and I came out here to watch the storm," Jessica explained, "Only we watched it at the edge of that cliff, and..."

"_Never_ go out to the edge of _any_ cliff in _any_ storm!" said Natsuhi sternly to both of them. Then, she collapsed and sobbed, "Thank goodness you're both all right!" She hugged Sento and said, "Don't worry; we'll get you back up the guest house now and keep you comfortable until morning. Then we'll have you taken to a hospital. And Jessica..." She stood up to hug Jessica. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine, mom," said Jessica wearily, "I'm just a little tired. Anyway...we should take Sento up to the guest house now."

She and Yoshiya both bent down to help carry Sento, Jessica deciding to chip in. She and Sento shared a meaningful glance before Sento closed his eyes...

And went to sleep...

* * *

_Before the doors close and it comes to an end_

_With you by my side I'll fight and defend_

_-"Keep Holding On", Avril Lavigne_


	32. The End Part 2

The End (part 2)

_Your smiling face from the distant days is never found_

_But if I'm at fault, then someday..._

_Please, from your heart, hate and kill the cruel me_

_-"Seizensetsu", dai_

* * *

The seagulls...

That was the one sound reverberating...

The seagulls...

The cries of victory...

Sento opened his eyes to see morning light pouring in through the windows and onto the bed, his sensations being awoken bit by bit. Not only could he hear the seagulls just outside...he could also feel his legs on two, soft pillows, in a position where he couldn't inadvertently move and bring more discomfort to himself. And he could feel a hand gently stroking his cheek, like a mother's gentle touch upon her baby...

He looked over to see Natsuhi standing just above him. "Good morning," she said, smiling, "The boat will be here to take you to the hospital in just a few hours. For now, just rest."

She was being so comforting...so motherly...he closed his eyes and allowed this touch, feeling comforted and at ease, more than he had ever felt in his life.

As he closed his eyes..._her_ face came to mind...

He opened his eyes. "Where's Jessica?"

"Jessica is with the young cousins right now," said Natsuhi, sounding very soft and gentle, "She is keeping them company while the baby is..."

She didn't need to finish that sentence; Sento could hear a loud _"oooOOOOOOoooaaaaAAAAAAhhhh!"_ from down the hall.

It was time.

* * *

"You can do it, Beato," said Kyrie encouragingly as she sat on the bed in front of Beato's spread-apart legs, ready to deliver the baby, "You're just about there. The head is in sight, now keep pushing!"

Beato gritted her teeth and bore down, thinking to herself how wonderful it would be if she were a witch again and had the power to grind Battler into Stake-food as punishment for doing this to her. Sure, he was right by her side holding her hand, but _he_ wasn't the one to have to push something the size of his head out of an opening that refused to stretch further than the size of his hand.

"Y—yeah!" said Battler encouragingly. "You're doing great, Beato! This is just about over!" He tried to put on a matching expression of encouragement, but it was difficult when he was feeling an overwhelming variety of emotions and sensations all at once: Fear and excitement that the baby was finally going to be born; nausea from the sight on the towel Kyrie had laid out on the bed which was covered with blood and (what he presumed to be) amniotic fluid; and pain from nearly every bone in his hand being crushed by Beato every time she pushed.

"Now relax," commanded Kyrie.

Beato let out a shuddery breath and ceased pushing, panting from the exhaustion. Why oh _why_ hadn't anyone told her childbirth would be _this_ painful? She had a good idea as to how the baby would come out, sure, but had thought it would be no worse than going to the bathroom.

"How much further now, Kyrie-san?" said Battler.

"Well, she's made progress in the past half hour," commented Kyrie, "A few more pushes and the baby should be out."

Battler smiled at Beato. "You hear that, Beato? In just a few minutes, the baby will be here. Isn't childbirth such a miracle?"

Kyrie stifled a laugh; only she knew that now was a _very_ bad time to say that to a woman who had been pushing for over half an hour. Beato glared at Battler out of the corner of her eye and smiled dangerously. "Oh Battler," she said in a threatening tone, "When this is over, I am going to _kill_ you."

Battler laughed nervously, "Ihihihi..."

"Time to bear down again," announced Kyrie.

Beato pushed with all her effort and let out an agonized scream, thinking, _That does it; I'm NEVER doing this EVER again; I will personally snip Battler if I have to do it myself!_

Battler grit his teeth, tempted to scream himself. He hoped he'd be able to use his hand ever again after this was over. Outside the room, he could hear Rudolf calling out, "Are you _sure_ you don't want me in there?"

"_NO!"_ shrieked Beato before going back to pushing.

"Actually, yes," called out Battler. The further the birth approached, the more anxious he grew. He needed to have _someone_ around who wasn't busy either having a baby or helping someone have a baby, even if it was the old bastard.

Rudolf opened the door ever so slightly and stood in the doorway. He thought back to when Beato's screams had woken up Ange a couple of minutes ago; she looked horrified and thought Beato was being brutally murdered. Not quite knowing how to explain it to her, he had assured her there was nothing to worry about and that the screaming was just part of having a baby.

And not long ago before _that,_ he had briefly stopped by Sento's room to check up on him, only to find out from Natsuhi that some sort of incident had occurred last night where he had fallen off the cliff and broken both his legs. "Jessica had been there, too," she had said, "And it was that Kanon who spotted them and was on his way to rescue them...I still don't know how to feel over those two being together...but it's making me re-think my position from last night..."

Whatever Natsuhi chose for the young couple was _her_ choice as far as Rudolf was concerned; what mattered then was seeing that his other son was all right. He had been asleep, and Rudolf had figured he'd better not wake him up. Instead, he had brought the blankets up further, smiled, and whispered, "Good morning, son," before leaving.

Yes indeed, this whole business with his children was complicated. And it was about to get even more complicated when his grandchild arrived in a matter of minutes.

"Ooh—aah—_AAAAAHHHH!"_ cried out Beato as she was urged to bear down as hard as she could, thinking, _I'm going to kill him, I'm going to kill him, I'm going to kill him, I'm going to..._

"...waAAAAHhhHHH..."

"She...she's here..." whispered Battler. He felt Beato's grip on his hand loosen up; she, too, was both alerted and dazed by that single cry...that single breath of life...

Kyrie, though covered in amniotic fluid from Beato's last push, still managed to smile and say, "Yes, the ultrasound and karyotype test were right...you have a girl."

She held up her granddaughter, who was screaming in what could be seen as a mixture of protest and fear. Her face was as red as a boiled lobster, her head looked as though it had been beaten upon with a blunt instrument, and she was covered in a mixture of blood and amniotic fluid (assuming it was _just_ that alone). To an observer, she would look downright repulsive.

To her parents...she was the most fascinating sight they had ever laid eyes on...

Kyrie blinked away tears at the beauty of being able to deliver her granddaughter; furthermore, to be the first one to actually _hold_ her. She gulped and said, "Battler-kun...would you like to have the honour of cutting your daughter's umbilical cord?"

Battler's face turned an interesting shade of green. Rudolf took this as a sign to sigh, "I'll do it," and walked over to the bed. He picked up the scissors lying on the bed and steadily cut what attached the baby to Beato physically.

"We're...we're actually _parents,"_ said Battler disbelievingly. Hadn't it only been yesterday that he had found those pregnancy tests in the trash bin? That Beato had admitted she was the one to have a baby? That they had decided to try to make parenthood work when they weren't sure _how_ they would manage?

"And I'm a grandfather," sighed Rudolf, using a spare washcloth to wipe off some of the extra gunk off the baby's face and body, "Kyrie? Do you want me to get one of the extra blankets from over there?"

Kyrie nodded and laid the baby down on the bed for the time being. She was still putting up a fuss, though not quite as loudly as before now that she was hearing the voices that had comforted her inside the home she had been forced out of.

"Isabel," whispered Beato, feeling exhausted and ready to sleep, "Our little Isabel..."

"That's her name, huh?" said Rudolf as he gently wrapped the baby up in a white blanket.

"Yeah," nodded Battler, "That's our little Isabel."

"Ushiromiya Isabel," mused Rudolf as he held the baby in his arms, "How Italian...or is it Spanish?"

"Hey, it's better than the name you gave _me,_ you old bastard, ihihi!" said Battler light-heartedly, though not even that could shake the heavy, emotional tone of this moment.

"I had my reasons," said Rudolf innocently. He smiled at the confused young Isabel. At first glance, it was hard to believe he had ever viewed the baby as a burden rather than a blessing; now, he looked quite the opposite. Of course, he still didn't let go of the fact that this baby would make life a _lot_ harder for his son, but he was beginning to think it might not be so bad being a grandfather.

Battler stood up and walked over to Rudolf. "Uh, dad?" he said. "Is it okay if I...?"

"Oh, of course," said Rudolf quickly. He had slightly more faith in Battler now that he had more practice over the last couple of months. Even so, he was very slow and very gentle in placing the baby into Battler's arms.

Battler held Isabel steadily, making sure to support her head and her tiny little body. Her eyes were half-open and she still looked quite confused.

"H—hello there," said Battler nervously, "It's me...daddy."

Isabel's eyes opened even further upon hearing a familiar voice. Battler felt his breath catch in his throat and he thought, _She's so tiny...so vulnerable...if I hold her the wrong way, she'll break into a million pieces..._

He felt himself shake. He struggled to hold her properly, having images of her suddenly tearing and falling like that sack of flour, until finally he heard Kyrie say, "You're shaking; here, let me hold her for a bit."

Battler was still shaking after he had handed the baby over to Kyrie. He sat down in a nearby chair and took a few deep breaths, thinking, _I'm really a father._

Rudolf stood just above Battler. "You okay?"

Battler stood up. "I..." he gulped, "...have...a daughter..." He burst into tears and buried his face in his father's chest. Rudolf was somewhat disgusted by this, and was about to say so...when Battler looked up with such earnest tears in his eyes. "She's so _tiny,"_ he choked out, "So..._small..."_

"Eh...soon she'll be big and all the boys will be after her, and you'll want her to be tiny again," shrugged Rudolf. He gave Battler a pat on the back. "Just treat her better than you treated that damn sack."

"I...I will," said Battler, wiping some of his tears off with his sleeve, "I will."

Beato, in the mean time, had closed her eyes to rest and take this all in...to have one last conversation with her other self...

* * *

"_So you're a mother now," said the other Beato, "How does that feel?"_

"_O—onee-sama?" said Beato incredulously. "I haven't seen you in months; why—?"_

"_My time is just about up," said the other Beato calmly, "You no longer need me. I see you doing just fine with Battler."_

"_That...that doesn't me I don't want you around," said Beato tearfully, "Onee-sama..."_

"_Beato," said the other Beato gently, lightly caressing Beato's cheeks, "you have grown so much in these nine months. Think back to that day in the meta-world when I needed you; would you have been able to do that months earlier? You have gained much more of your memories now; in fact, I might just say you have them all back. What do you remember?"_

"_I remember," said Beato thoughtfully, "I remember...my third birthday, and the chocolate cake I had. I remember my carefree but lonely days in Kuwadorian, learning as much about Beatrice as I could get my hands on. I remember that fateful day I met Battler, and what came afterwards...I remember magic and love...I remember...everything."_

_The other Beato smiled. A dim light was beginning to surround her. "Onee-sama!" gasped Beato. She gave her other self a tight hug and sobbed, "I—I'll miss you!"_

"_In time, you won't miss me at all," whispered her other self, fading, "You will be your own person...live your own life...as Beatrice would have done..."_

_With a sinking feeling in her heart, Beato knew this was to be their last meeting._

* * *

Beato opened her eyes to see Kyrie standing above her. "Beato," she said, "It should be a matter of minutes until the placenta is delivered. Until then, would you like to hold your daughter?"

Beato sat up and nodded. Onee-sama was gone for good. And she did not know how to feel. All she knew was that she had a strong urge to hold the baby.

Kyrie gently placed the baby into Beato's outstretched arms. Beato felt almost afraid to look into the eyes of what she had just given life to, but somehow brought herself to do so. Isabel's eyes were closed, as though she were in a peaceful sleep. She looked so _peaceful..._as though there had never been any panic or concern for her birth...as though her parents were mature adults capable of handling this...as though she had never once been in danger of—

"I—Isabel," whispered Beato, feeling tears well up in her eyes, "You're so..." She swallowed. "So _beautiful..."_

She couldn't help it; she burst into tears and held Isabel closer. Somehow, it was beautiful to have her older sister be gone at around the same time her daughter was born. It was the cycle of life—out with the old life, in with the new life. And from her trials with Battler, Isabel had been born.

Battler turned his head at a slight creak. Ange was peeking from just outside the bedroom. "Is it okay if Maria onee-chan and I come in?"

"I...think we would rather be alone right now," said Battler, "Maybe later, okay?"

Ange slinked back and said to Jessica, "You were right; they want to be alone now."

"I thought so," said Jessica, "Why don't we go back to our room right now and play for a bit?"

* * *

Jessica played a game of cards with Maria, Ange, George, and Shannon, though half-heartedly as she was feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the events of last night. To confess her love for Yoshiya, to fight for Sento's life, and to be rescued from drowning was all too much. Yes, last night would indeed be an unforgettable night, even if she could never tell anyone else about it (who would believe her anyway?). And one of the things about last night that had left an impression on her was Sento's confession to her.

So he was in love with her...how long he had _been_ in love? Had he actually held those feelings for her all this time and she never knew? Furthermore...did _she_ feel the same way for him?

After searching her heart, Jessica found that—

"It's your turn, Jessica," spoke up George, "Do you have any aces?"

Jessica forfeited two of her aces over to George. She had found that she loved Sento...

"When will onii-chan let us see the baby?" said Ange.

"Soon enough," said George, "I'm sure they'll want some time alone with the baby for a little bit."

"Yeah," muttered Jessica, "maybe in a couple more minutes..."

Yes, she had found that she loved Sento, but...

"Excuse me, Jessica?"

Jessica looked up from the game. Yoshiya was standing in the doorway. "Jessica," he said, "may I speak to you for a few minutes?"

"Sure," said Jessica, laying her cards face-down on the bed. As she got off the bed she said, "None of you had _better_ peak at my cards!"

"Kihihihihihi," cackled Maria.

Jessica smiled at Maria before exiting the room with Yoshiya. She had found that she loved Sento...but not in the romantic sense. She loved him as her brother, and would sacrifice herself for him as much as she would for anyone else in the family, but could not picture she and him as lovers. While it was true that they were cousins by birth, and marriage between cousins was perfectly acceptable, she couldn't view him as anything other than her brother. And if she were to view him as her sibling, than it may as well be actual brother-sister incest.

And besides which...she had someone else she was in love with.

Jessica shared a brief kiss with Yoshiya out in the hall before saying, "Yes, Yoshiya?"

Yoshiya seemed almost hesitant. "Jessica," he said, "do you suppose your mother might possibly be okay with us being together after what happened last night?"

"Obviously, you're not talking about the wedding," Jessica lightly chuckled, "You mean when the two of you rescued me and Sento at sea? I don't know...I don't think she'll accept us _immediately _because of it, but she _might_ be okay. How did she react when she saw you last night looking for the lifesavers?"

"She appeared merely curious at first," replied Yoshiya, "And then, when I told her about you and Sento were in danger, she grew frightened and urged me to hurry up, and came along with me. I have not spoken to her since then, but I would not want her to accept us because she feels in debt to me."

"Yeah, that wouldn't _really_ be right, would it?" said Jessica. Then, "Yoshiya? Now that Shannon—I mean, Sayo—and George are married, are you really going to leave the island?"

Yoshiya nodded. "That was part of the deal—if my sister leaves, I must also leave. Unless you wanted me to stay...? Then again," he sighed, "we'll have to see if your parents approve."

"Right," sighed Jessica.

Yoshiya surprised her by asking, "How is Sento doing?"

"Oh, I haven't seen him since last night," said Jessica, feeling awkward. If Yoshiya had been there when Sento confessed...

"Do you suppose we should visit him now?" suggested Yoshiya.

"Maybe," said Jessica uncomfortably. Part of her felt truly guilty that she did not reciprocate Sento's feelings and did not look forward to having to break it to him, no matter how gently. She knew that if she were to avoid the topic it would cause more tension for them, and that the sooner it was dealt with, the better. Yet the thought of having to tell him made her think about how one of her closest friends at school felt rejected after gently being turned down by a boy who did not feel the same way.

Hopefully, he'd take it well when she told him...someday.


	33. The End Part 3

**A/N: So it's just this chapter and then one more chapter and this will be over...ah, time flies when one is having fun writing...**

* * *

The End (part 3)

Jessica picked at the meat on the plate that sat in front of her, not feeling particularly hungry. It had been two weeks since the rest of the family had left...including Yoshiya, who was off to places Jessica could only _guess._ She kept telling herself that this wasn't goodbye forever, that they might meet again someday...but what good was there in that when such a miracle had such slim chances of ever occurring?

"Jessica," spoke Natsuhi, "sit up straight like a lady."

"Yeah, yeah," muttered Jessica, who sat up somewhat straighter.

"Just because you will not be the next head does not mean you're exonerated from learning good manners," scolded Natsuhi, "You must learn to behave properly!"

Jessica let out a melancholic sigh and began to eat away at her meal, bit by bit, piece by piece.

* * *

It was after dinner that Jessica went to the parlour to call up Battler. With nothing else to do, she figured she might as well check up on him and hear how he was doing during his first two weeks of fatherhood. Besides, today was July fifteenth—his birthday.

"Happy birthday, Battler," said Jessica when Battler picked up on the other end.

"Thank you, Jessica," said Battler wearily, "Isabel already gave me her 'present', ihihi! Though I guess she herself is a pretty good present, even if she came two weeks early."

"How are things with Isabel?" asked Jessica.

There was a pause and a soft groan on the other line. "Ah, she's already a little witch-in-training, huh?" cracked Jessica.

"Eh, she likes to be up _at_ witching hours, that's for certain," said Battler, "And she also has an ear infection now, so Beato and I are up a _lot_ more often than at the start. Ange keeps begging Kyrie-san and dad to let her sleep over at a friend's house so that she can sleep again. Right now, dad's setting up a small 'camp' for her in the basement, and we'll see if that helps. If not, he says he might consider her offer, but only for a short while. But anyway...how are you doing?"

"Okay, I guess," sighed Jessica, "I still miss Yoshiya like crazy, though."

"I don't know if this helps, but the last time I talked to him on the boat, he said he might move to Kyoto to find work there," said Battler. He paused. "How is Sento?"

Now, Jessica was feeling somewhat uncomfortable; nonetheless, she said, "Oh, um, when he went to the hospital, it turned out he had indeed broken his legs and a rib. He'll be spending the rest of the summer in a wheelchair, though he prefers to stay in bed most of the time. He'll have the casts removed sometime towards the end of August, I think."

What she didn't mention was that whenever she saw him, he looked as though his lover had died. He always wore a melancholic look upon his face, and did not sit up tall and proud as before; he slouched over and cast his eyes at the sheets. It concerned Natsuhi greatly; Jessica could hear her trying to get Sento to open up about what was wrong, and each time she would hear him say he was bored of being in bed all day. Natsuhi would promise that she would take him outside, and he would act okay with that.

However, Jessica knew the real reason for Sento's depression: He was lovesick. She had not yet talked to him about her real feelings for him...and for Yoshiya...but had he somehow figured out that she did not share these feelings he held for her? He must've, if he had witnessed her bold statements about her love for Yoshiya...and she had said to his face in the chapel that night that she was in love with Yoshiya...

There was a faint wail on the other line. "I've got to go," sighed Battler, "Isabel's crying, and I promised Beato I'd let her sleep today. I'll talk to you later. And...wish Sento a happy birthday for me."

"Bye," said Jessica, hanging up the phone. Beato was lucky to have a man like Battler around to help with the baby, she thought, I know I'd want to have the one I loved to be by my side in a situation like that.

She let out a sigh. She knew she had to talk to Sento about this eventually, and decided in that moment she would get it over with.

* * *

Jessica cautiously pushed open the door to Sento's room. Tonight, he had preferred to have his dinner alone in bed, and was sitting up awake. She bit her lip nervously and went in, closing the door behind her.

"Good evening, Jessica," said Sento, "Give Gohda my compliments as always."

"I sure will," muttered Jessica, "Happy birthday, Sento." She took his empty food tray off the bed and placed it just down onto the nearby desk. She had noticed he had stopped calling her 'dear sister'. In some ways, she almost missed it. It was like an affectionate pet name that had grown on her after a while.

"You're here to talk about something, aren't you?" spoke Sento. His tone wasn't inquisitive so much as it was dull, as though he had already predicted the outcome of their conversation.

"Er...yes," said Jessica awkwardly. She sat down on the bed next to Sento and said, "Sento...I..."

"You don't return my feelings for you," spoke Sento, "You're in love with someone else...Yoshiya, correct?"

So he already knew why she had come here. This just made Jessica feel even more awkward. "Uh...yes. I love Yoshiya...but I still love you..."

"As a brother, not a love interest," finished Sento.

"Y—yes," admitted Jessica, "So then...you know that we can't be together. As in, we can't be..."

"Lovers?" finished Sento. "And I assume it's not just because our dear parents would feel awkward not knowing whether to accept us or not? It's because you would feel miserable in a one-sided relationship, not knowing how to make someone happy when you yourself did not reciprocate their feelings of love."

Jessica's shoulder slumped. "Exactly. But Sento...I'm sure you'll find someone else whom you'll be happy with."

"Of course I will," muttered Sento, though it sounded as though he hadn't yet reached the stage where he would accept this.

Jessica hesitated. "So...you've known all this time that I couldn't feel the same way for you?"

Sento nodded.

"Then why...?"

"Why did I confess to you right before you set us both free?" finished Sento. "Because..." He paused, as though to keep himself from completely breaking down. "Because I didn't realize until then how I truly felt...and I didn't want to die without ever getting the chance to tell you."

Jessica thought back to how she had resolved to live every day as if it could be her last after she had learned of the entire deal...especially how she had finally mustered up the courage to sleep with Yoshiya, thinking it might be their only chance to express their love—to commit the _ultimate_ expression of love. Thinking of it this way helped her understand Sento's reasoning.

Of course, just because Sento had known his love would go unrequited didn't make it hurt any less. It left him with an ache in his chest and a heavy feeling in his stomach. Even so...he still wanted her to be happy...

"You must miss Yoshiya, don't you?" said Sento.

Jessica was reluctant to answer. It was true that she did, but she feared the timing of telling him so—right after he had said he knew how she really felt—was not precise.

"Oh, wouldn't it be nice if you could have a chat with our parents and get them to have you go out to visit Yoshiya during the summer break?" sighed Sento.

"Yeah, it would be," muttered Jessica.

"And wouldn't it be nice if you were to stay for, oh, two weeks at most?" Sento went on.

Jessica shrugged, "I guess."

"You 'guess'?" scoffed Sento. "That's not going to get your things packed."

Jessica turned her head sharply. Sento said, "Oh yes, I've been talking with our parents recently, and I convinced them to let you stay with Yoshiya for two weeks next month; they were going to tell you tonight, but I suppose I got to it first. Of course, it took a _lot_ of convincing, but—"

Sento didn't get to finish that sentence, for out of immense gratitude, Jessica had wrapped her arms around his back and thrust her lips onto his own. Well..._that_ hadn't been expected...though it did feel...really, _really_ nice...

Of course, Sento knew better than to expect anything to come out of it; he knew this kiss was out of gratitude and nothing else. He supposed he had to be crazy to go through what felt like _endless_ debates with Natsuhi and Krauss all to get the one he loved to stay with his romantic rival. But as long as he loved Jessica, he would do what he could to make her happy. And if being with Yoshiya made her happy...then so be it.

Jessica parted and breathed, _"Thank you, thank you, thank you."_ She got off the bed and ran over to grab the food tray. She ran out of the room and called over her shoulder, "I'll repay you for this some day!"

Sento smiled and muttered to himself, "You already have."

* * *

_Kiss today goodbye_

_The sweetness and the sorrow_

_Wish me luck, the same to you_

_But I can't regret what I did for love_

_What I did for love_

_-"What I Did For Love", A Chorus Line_


	34. The End Part 4

34

**The End (part 4)**

_July 10, 1994_

Battler let out a groan as he latched Isabel onto his back and carried her up the path leading to the mansion. Only a few years ago, he had no difficulty giving her piggyback rides; now that she was seven years old, she was gradually getting too heavy for the task. And soon enough, she'd be too _mature_ for the task. Although, if she were anything like her mother, she'd probably never grow out of it. She already resembled her mother in appearance—long, wavy blonde hair that fell down her back, and blue eyes.

"Ohoho, getting old so soon, Battler-kun?" laughed Kumasawa as she walked just behind Battler and Isabel. "Is that child breaking your back _already?"_

"Eh, Isabel's growing like a weed, ihihi!" laughed Battler. "Seven already, can you believe it? A big girl now!"

"And do big girls get to call themselves whatever they like?" asked Isabel. She had grown to, if not hate, at least strongly dislike her name. She was the only one in her entire school to have a foreign-sounding name...and as if this wasn't bad enough by itself she was also the only one in her generation of cousins to have a Western name. Ai, Haruki, Etsuko, Kaede, Daisuke...hell, even her _baby brother_ had a Japanese name! Already, at the age of seven, she was learning the foundations of humiliation.

"Now Isabel, your name is very pretty, and honours your Italian roots," said Beato as she caught up to her husband and daughter while holding her and Battler's six month-old son, Riku, who was currently sleeping.

"Yeah, and everyone else's names honours their _Japanese_ roots—as they _should,"_ said Isabel irritably with a roll of her eyes.

"Now isn't that interesting of you to say that," said Rudolf, glancing over at Battler. He was having strong memories of Battler complaining about his Western name, and vowing to give his children strictly Japanese names. Ah, if only he knew...

"This one kid in my class said you have a reindeer's name, grandpa," said Isabel, the wind playing with her blonde locks.

"Did they now?" laughed Rudolf. "You tell that kid I just happen to love my Westerns, which they've probably never seen!"

It felt nice to have a light-hearted atmosphere with joking, as though they were a normal family, as though Isabel had been born at a more convenient time for her parents. The first year of her life had undoubtedly been the most difficult one—from an assortment of illnesses and infections that seemed to hit the poor child all at once to lost sleep to arguments with Beato over almost everything, Battler had been in serious doubt of whether he and Beato really could handle this, and if Rudolf had been right all along—that he really _wasn't_ cut out for this.

In time, however, he had gradually grown accustomed to fatherhood. Isabel became much healthier as she grew older, and Battler and Beato began to open up with each other about their feelings over parenthood more. And while it had seemed impossible at one time, Battler had graduated with acceptable (though not particularly outstanding) marks just two years ago.

And now, Isabel had a baby brother. Riku hadn't been planned any more than Isabel herself had been, but her parents were somewhat better prepared with more experience. Of course, finally having the money to move into a slightly bigger house had helped as well. Isabel had needed some time to adjust to the move, as she had grown up in the same house as her grandparents and aunt, and would miss waking up to the sound of five people getting ready in the morning.

"Isabel's getting a ride!" exclaimed the eldest of George and Sayo's children, four-year-old Ai. "Can I have a ride too, daddy?"

"Soon enough, Ai," said George gently as he held Etsuko in his arms. The girls had been the first to come, Etsuko being born two years after Ai; boy Haruki was just a baby, whom Sayo was attending to. Slowly but surely, George was beginning to build his own business that he hoped would eventually amount to his father's own business, perhaps even exceed it, within a couple years' time.

Maria and Ange lingered behind for a bit while the cousins and parents began to mingle on their way up. "Maria onee-chan," said Ange, "How have things been going for you?"

"Mom and I are getting along somewhat better now," said Maria, both looking and sounding more adult in tone, "We talk about our problems more, and there's less fighting and yelling, so it's all good."

Maria had grown up to be somewhat nonchalant about her problems in life, which Ange supposed was good—better than dwelling, right? Ange said, "I still baby-sit for Isabel when I'm needed, but that's less and less now." She sighed, "I'm beginning to see what my parents meant when they were going on about how children grow up so fast."

* * *

"Now hold still, Kaede," said Jessica as she began to run the brush through her three-year-old daughter's unruly dark hair. She was sitting on Kaede's new "big girl" bed while Kaede herself was sitting in her mother's lap.

"Ow!" yelped Kaede. She struggled to get out, but Jessica held her in place. Still, she supposed she shouldn't get _too_ mad; after all, Jessica herself had refused to give her own mother any cooperation with her hair. She still remembered the sharp yanks and tugs no matter how gentle Natsuhi had tried.

"I don't wanna have my hair brushed," whined Kaede, "Why do I hafta anyway?"

"So you look like a beautiful young princess," was Jessica's on-her-feet reply. If nothing else, her experience with her game had taught her how to think on the spot within a few seconds.

She closed her eyes thoughtfully. "That" game...she hadn't thought of _that_ in a while. In some ways, though, "that" game had brought her and Yoshiya closer together...brought her closer to her brother...resulted in her child being born...

Kaede had been the result of Jessica's eager answer to Yoshiya's marriage proposal the summer after she had graduated from university. Even though the young couple had _always_ taken precautions, there was something about the excitement of being newly engaged, the thought of finally being able to start their own life together, that made them throw away all common sense and take the moment for what it was.

Jessica's parents had mixed feelings about her getting engaged to a former servant, even with the reminder that he was no longer a servant, and these feelings grew all the more stronger when she learned exactly one month and two weeks since she had accepted his proposal that she would be having his child. And of all people, the first person whom she had told about it was Sento, who had even stood by her side when she broke the news to Yoshiya, and then to her parents.

Well, at least she had graduated by then, and had secured a job. At least Yoshiya had been more than willing to return home with her upon their engagement...and all the more eager to marry her a couple months earlier than originally planned...

"Ow, ow, ow, OW!" shrieked Kaede, snapping Jessica back to reality as she realized she had pulled a little _too_ hard on a particular knot. "I want daddy to do it!"

"Daddy's busy right now," said Jessica, deciding to gently undo the tangles with her fingers, "He's waiting outside to greet the others when they arrive."

"Are they here yet?" asked Kaede, who was getting wriggly.

"We'll check in a couple minutes, okay?" said Jessica. "Now would you like your hair up in a ponytail or down?"

* * *

The entire family gathered in the parlour ten minutes later to discuss all that had gone on since they had last met. As it turned out, they had quite a bit to talk about.

"Mother, I've told you not to spoil the children with candy," said George firmly, ignoring the pleading look in Etsuko's eyes, "They already had something to eat before we left."

"Oh, sorry about that, George," said Eva, though she wasn't quite that sorry. She seemed to have changed her mind about George's marriage once the grandchildren were born. The remarks she made to Sayo now were those along the lines of "Ease up on the salt in the miso soup or else those children will get overweight!"

"My sympathies, George-aniki," spoke Battler, "Isabel is always getting candy out of nowhere. And oddly enough, said candy appears right after the old bastard has paid us a visit."

"Hey, who am I to deny my granddaughter's sweet tooth?" said Rudolf playfully.

Isabel, tired after a long trip, lay her head down on her mother's lap with her eyes closed. Beato smiled and lightly ruffled Isabel's hair with one hand while holding Riku with the other. "At least Isabel is generous enough to share with her mother," said Beato.

"Ah, some things about you never change, Beato!" said Battler. He stood just above Beato and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Where is Uncle Sento?" asked Ai. "He always gives us candy."

"Mmm?" said Isabel as she opened up her eyes. Uncle Sento...yes, she remembered him quite well. He was the one who would always make jokes about making her French fries...well, she _assumed_ they were jokes anyway, if the way Jessica laughed nervously was any indication. Her parents would just roll their eyes at such remarks.

"Sento's probably with Mayumi right now," said Natsuhi, "That baby has been keeping them both busy." She sighed, "I am just glad he found a good wife who will undoubtedly make a wonderful mother to their son."

Yes...Daisuke had been born only one month ago. Already, he had proven to be quite the handful. Yet Sento appeared to be perfectly capable of handling it with the help of his wife of three years, Mayumi. It had been difficult to move past Jessica, but eventually he managed. As though in compensation for everything he had lacked in his childhood, he had been blessed with a family, a beautiful wife, and a healthy son.

And now, Sento had just walked into the parlour with his cane handy. After the casts had come off he walked with a limp, which the doctors said would probably remain with him for the rest of his life. But as long as he was surrounded by the ones he loved, it didn't matter.

"Uncle Sento!" said Isabel happily. She leaped off Beato's lap and ran up to give her uncle a big hug, which he gladly returned.

"Good to see you, Sento," spoke up Rudolf. The ice between him and Sento was not broken over night, but they were working to something of a civil term.

Sento nodded. "You too." He let go of Isabel and said, "So Isabel, have you been good for your parents?"

Isabel nodded eagerly. "Yes! I help mommy with Riku and—and I help daddy bake cookies and—and—and I'm getting good grades and—"

Battler scooped Isabel up in his arms. "We're a little overtired from the trip," he explained, "And I think it is about time you went to your guest room for a nap."

"I...don't...want to," muttered a sleepy Isabel. She laid her head on her father's shoulder and closed her eyes, similar to how she had her head in her mother's lap a few minutes ago.

Battler smiled and began to walk out with Isabel. After all he and Beato had been through with Isabel...he was beginning to think it had all been worth it.

Sento looked over to see Jessica sitting by the windows. He slowly walked over to her and sat next to her. "So, dear sister," he said, "What do you make of this family conference?"

Jessica was surprised. It had been years since he had called her "dear sister". "I would say that while we may have our little 'issues'," she said, "that we are at least strong enough to pull through them together. That no matter what sort of problem we are facing, whether it's the storm itself, or we are caught in the eye of the storm, we can face it head-on."

Sento slipped his hand into Jessica's. "And that," he said, "is what makes us, in spite of our little "quirks", family."

**THE END**

_Quote: "Without love, it can't be seen"_

* * *

**A/N: And so I have to change another story's status to "complete"...*sigh* Even though this was sheer melodrama, I had a fun time writing it (heck, melodrama is just plain fun to write). Even if the characterization was, at times...just above anime level. *wince* It's always difficult to write about a character's reaction to a situation that is usually not in canon, and I am aware some people do not see some reactions as in-character, whereas some people think they are in-character, you know? I hope I at least did okay, if nothing else. The one character whom I for sure had a firm grasp on throughout was Sento; I could easily hear his voice saying this, I could easily picture him doing that, etc. He invoked the reaction I was hoping to see: You're not quite sure if he's truly good or evil, and that's something the reader should remain in doubt about until you get a definitive answer towards the end. It was a fun journey to write him as a Magnificent Bastard and as a Jerkass Woobie.**

**And if it's easier for me to characterize my OCs than it is to write for the canon characters, then the time for me to leave fanfiction behind is rapidly approaching. However, I don't think I could truly give fanfiction up; I'll still write stories for this site, and there are some fandoms I'd still love to write for once I have an actual idea. And besides which, I have a current good idea for an original story that will most likely take months to develop; heck, this fanfic took five months to flesh out before it was published. During that time, I might as well write more fanfiction to satiate my needs.**

**Anything else I want to add...first, I am considering changing some names and plot details and converting this to an original story. Don't expect it to happen overnight, though; it will most likely take some time (see above paragraph).**

**Second, I am amused by the reactions to Jessikanon VS Jessisento. Personally, I believe that if this story were canon—well, Ryukishi would've written it a thousand times better than I did, lol—and the VNs were to be widely distributed in North America, that Jessisento would become insanely popular and poor Kanon would be turned into a wife beater in "Die For Our Ship" fanfiction. Why? Simple: Jessica = girl whom female viewers identify with; Sento = boy whom female viewers want to bang. Get the picture? Don't believe me? Check out the romance fanfiction for "Harry Potter" and "Avatar: The Last Airbender": There are more fanfics for "Dramione" and "Zutara" than there are for the actual canon pairings—and in too many of them for me to round up to a precise number, one half of the canon pairing is vilified. And even if you haven't checked either of these out, there's probably a good example of it within one of your own fandoms.**

**One final note: Isabel is twenty-three now. They grow up so fast...**


End file.
